Obama Calls for ‘New Beginning’ Between U.S., Muslims

Obama Calls for ‘New Beginning’ Between U.S., Muslims


Edwin Chen and Julianna Goldman




June 4 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama pledged to “seek a new beginning” for the U.S. and the Muslim world, calling on people in both societies to find common ground and end a “cycle of suspicion and discord.”

In a speech at Cairo University today, Obama touched on tension points from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to religious freedom to women’s rights, democracy and the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. Some of his most direct language was used to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

While he called the U.S. bond with Israel “unbreakable” and insisted that Hamas must stop all violence against Israelis, Obama said Israel must stop expanding its West bank settlements and recognize Palestinian aspirations for statehood.

“Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel’s right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine’s,” Obama said. He called the Palestinian situation in the West Bank and Gaza “intolerable” and said, “The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.”

The 55-minute address was part of an effort by Obama to lift U.S. standing with Muslims at a moment when the administration is working to reignite the Middle East peace process, waging war against Islamic insurgents in two countries, and battling to choke off support for al-Qaeda and other terrorists.

History With Islam

The president was interrupted more than two dozen times by applause and he cited the Koran as well as the Bible and the Talmud. Obama also reminded the audience that his father was from a Muslim family and he spent part of his childhood in Indonesia.

“That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn’t,” Obama said. “And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.”

Nathan Brown, professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University in Washington, said Obama “managed to thread the needle” with the speech by addressing a broad audience on tough issues “without sounding like he’s lecturing or hectoring.”

Obama’s language on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was “blunt but it was gentle on both sides,” Brown said.

Political Capital

Mark Heller, political scientist at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies, said Obama’s repeated use of the term Palestine is significant in that “it may buy Obama a little bit of political capital” with the Arab world.

“When they get into tough issues, he’s going to be able to say, ‘You can’t accuse me of being fundamentally hostile’ because he’s promoted Palestinian statehood and used their favored term to do it,” Heller said.

Some Arab analysts and members of the audience at Cairo University said the president’s rhetoric, while positive, must be followed up with actions.

“The symbolism was strong, the substance was thin,” said Rami Khoury, director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut.

“There was nothing new, but it’s enough that he showed respect to Muslims,” said Mai Masri, 21, a psychology student at the American University in Cairo, who attended the speech.

Areas of Tension

In addition to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Obama outlined five other friction points between the U.S. and Muslims: violent extremism “in all its forms”; stopping nuclear weapons development in Iran; the spread of democracy; religious freedom and the rights of women.

Citing a verse in the Koran that tells Muslims to “speak always the truth,” Obama said that that in order to move forward, “we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors.”

Discussing violent extremism, Obama said that he will “relentlessly” fight terrorists and protect the American people. He reiterated his commitment to withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq by 2012 and defended the U.S. war in Afghanistan as a “necessity” after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Afghanistan Strategy

Obama explained his strategy for improving Afghanistan’s governance, focusing more aid and attention on neighboring Pakistan. Obama plans to send an additional 21,000 troops to Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents are increasing attacks and ramping up pressure on the U.S.-backed government.

“Make no mistake: we do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We seek no military bases there,” Obama said. “We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can. But that is not yet the case.”

On Iran, Obama reaffirmed longstanding U.S. policy, saying any country, including Iran, “should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

Earlier in the speech he called Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s denial of the Holocaust “baseless, ignorant, and hateful.”

“Threatening Israel with destruction -- or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews -- is deeply wrong and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve,” Obama said.

Democracy

When Obama began discussing democracy, the younger members of the audience clapped and cheered.

“I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn’t steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose,” Obama said. “Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.”

Before the speech, Obama met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who critics say has increased suppression of political opposition during almost three decades in power.

To expand the reach of the address, the White House translated it into 13 languages, including Persian, Arabic and Urdu. To reach out to the Muslim world’s younger population, they distributed it through the global social network of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

Religious Freedom

Talking of religious freedom, Obama called on Muslims to uphold “the richness of religious diversity.”

“Among some Muslims, there is a disturbing tendency to measure one’s own faith by the rejection of another’s,” Obama said. “The divisions between Sunni and Shiite have led to tragic violence, particularly in Iraq.”

On women’s rights, Obama said that “a woman who is denied an education is denied equality.”

Concluding his speech, Obama pledged to work with the Muslim world on economic development, education, science and technology.

“All these things must be done in partnership,” Obama said. “Americans are ready to join with citizens and governments, community organizations, religious leaders, and businesses in Muslim communities around the world to help our people pursue a better life.”

Audience for Speech

The 3,000-person audience represented a cross-section of Muslim cultures from the Middle East and Africa, White House officials said. It included political officials, clerics and regional celebrities ranging from comedians to intellectuals and writers. The U.S. embassy in Cairo played a “leading role” in identifying who received invitations, said Denis McDonough, deputy national security adviser.

Mubarak’s son, Gamal, the Egyptian leader’s likely successor was there, as was Ayman Nour, a prominent Egyptian dissident who ran against Mubarak in 2005 and who was released from prison in February after being jailed on forgery charges.

Security was tight for the event. Attendees went through at least four separate checkpoints. The streets in Cairo were lined with armed policeman, standing a few yards apart from one another.

Obama leaves Cairo tonight for Germany, where tomorrow he’ll meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel, tour the site of the Buchenwald concentration camp and meet with wounded U.S. military personnel at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

To contact the reporters on this story: Julianna Goldman in Cairo at jgoldman6@bloomberg.net ; Edwin Chen in Cairo at echen32@bloomberg.net


Source :http://news.yahoo.com