Obama seeks Islam 'common ground'

By: Mike Allen
June 4, 2009 06:19 AM EST

Obama Predicts World With America as Superpower 'Will Inevitably Fail'

CAIRO – In remarks being translated live for broadcasts and Webcasts in every major language, President Barack Obama said Thursday that the United States wants “common ground” and “a new beginning” with the Muslim world, where America’s image plummeted with the Bush administration’s response to the 9/11 attacks.

"Much has been made of the fact that an African-American with the name Barack Hussein Obama could be elected President. But my personal story is not so unique," he said in the Grand Hall of Cairo University. "The dream of opportunity for all people has not come true for everyone in America, but its promise exists for all who come to our shores.”

The 55-minute speech was remarkable and historic not so much for the delivery or even the words, but for the context, the orator, the moment. Obama included blunt talk about the United States, Israel, Iraq, his predecessor and al Qaeda.

“I am aware that some question or justify the events of 9/11,” he said, speaking before a red curtain and six pairs of U.S. and Egyptian flags. “But let us be clear: al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day.”

The president, who left the room to applause from an audience carefully chosen to reflect diverse perspectives, invoked the “Holy Koran” twice, and the “Holy Bible” once.

“It’s easier to start wars than to end them” he said. “It’s easier to blame others than to look inward; to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is one rule that lies at the heart of every religion – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. [Applause] This truth transcends nations and peoples.”

Obama got a standing early ovation when he declared: “I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.

But some audience members gasped when he followed that with: “That same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America. Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire.”

The speech – delivered in Egypt, where the political opposition can be jailed, beaten or outlawed — is a major test of Obama’s ability to translate his appealing rhetoric into real change at what he acknowledged is “a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world.”

But conservative former U.S. Ambassador to United Nations John Bolton said he considered that one of several "flawed premises" upon which the speech was built, noting America's longstanding alliance with Saudi Arabia as sign that it's not all tension between the U.S. and Arab allies.

"This is another Obama blame America first moment," Bolton said.
Bolton also criticized Obama for what he called "a very hard line against Israeli settlements."

"When you criticize your strongest ally in an environment like that, it is intended to send a message to that ally," he said.
Liz Cheney, a former State Department official and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said it was a "well-delivered speech" and that Obama's personal story "sends a message about America being a land of opportunity."

Watch: Mike Allen's VIDEO Blog of Obama's Middle East Trip.

But after hearing Obama discuss the long and troubled history of U.S-Iranian relations, she said, "I was troubled by the extent to which I heard moral relativism. I heard the president talk about Iran as though we’ve done some bad things to Iran and they’ve done some bad things to us but now we just need to get together here to go forward — rather than acknowledging the fact that Iran is the world’s largest terrorist-sponsoring state."

Obama, who talked little about his own connections to Islam on the campaign trail, invoked what he called his “own experience” as he delivered on a campaign promise to make a major address on Muslim soil early in his presidency.

“I am a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims,” he said. “As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and the fall of dusk. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.”

The comments in what he called “the timeless city of Cairo” are by far the most extensive he has made about his Muslim roots. Obama added another personal note as he insisted on greater religious freedom throughout the world: “I saw it firsthand as a child in Indonesia, where devout Christians worshiped freely in an overwhelmingly Muslim country. That is the spirit we need today.”

Conservative critics seized on a passage in which he said: “Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail. So whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners of it. Our problems must be dealt with through partnership; progress must be shared.”

However, Obama spoke bluntly of some of the “sources of tension” between the cultures, including head scarves and the role of women, but did not include the word “terrorism” or its variants.

“I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world,” he said. “One based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles – principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.:”

On “women’s rights,” the president drew applause when he said: “I know there is debate about this issue. I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality. And it is no coincidence that countries where women are well-educated are far more likely to be prosperous.”

And another applause line: “Our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons.”

Echoing a message aides had emphasized in their previews of the speech, Obama declared that “change cannot happen overnight.”

“No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point,” Obama said. “But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground.”

Turning briefly to specifics, he said: “We will expand exchange programs, and increase scholarships, like the one that brought my father to America, while encouraging more Americans to study in Muslim communities. And we will match promising Muslim students with internships in America; invest in on-line learning for teachers and children around the world; and create a new online network, so a teenager in Kansas can communicate instantly with a teenager in Cairo.”

Obama concluded with brief quotations from the Koran, the Talmud and the Bible – the holy books of what he called “the three great faiths.” Then he added: “The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God’s vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth. Thank you. And may God’s peace be upon you.”

The administration has been signaling a tougher line with Israel, and Obama made remarks that can be taken as sympathetic to Palestinians for what he called “the daily humiliations – large and small – that come with occupation.”

“So let there be no doubt: the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable,” he said. “America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.”

In remarks that will likely rankle some supporters of Israel in the U.S. Congress, he added: “Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel’s right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine’s. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop. Israel must also live up to its obligations to ensure that Palestinians can live, and work, and develop their society.”

© 2009 Capitol News Company, LLC – Fox Nation

Posted:  Politico.com

So far the response to Obama’s Egypt Speech  is very mixed on both sides…  A few sample comments:

• A very mixed message
• Obama is working through his own issues at the expense of the United States
• sounds good, but the usual smoke and mirrors
• no actual meat
• is he still in college?
• how can he hang Israel out to dry as he did
• is he going to support the women whose hopes he has stirred
• weakness weakness weakness…
• how naive is he?
• dreamer
• stop apologizing for the United States
• the only reason there hasn’t been a WWIII is the nuclear threat controlled by the major powers
• what kind of fool would believe Iran will only use nuclear power for energy?
• he really is a fool!
• maybe he is running for president of the whole Muslim world?
• the Arab World respects strength… not weakness and apologies
• who can trust someone that continually apologizes for their own country?
• who is going to pay for all his big ideas?
• great speech if you live in Fantasyland
• perhaps it is a step toward a new beginning?

President Obama Addresses Muslim World in Cairo Speech Transcript- Washington Post

Posted:  Daily Thought Pad