Middle East Features
Obama faces tough crowd with speech to Muslim world (Feature)
By Elijah Zarwan and Chris Cermak Jun 2, 2009, 1:24 GMT
A general view showing the 14th century Sultan Hassan Mosque in Islamic Cairo 02 Juen 2009 that US President Barack Obama will visit on his trip to Egypt 04 June 2009. Obama will tour Cairo and deliver a major speech to the Muslim world from the secular campus of Cairo University. The Sultan Hassan Mosque which is a masterpiece of Mamluk architecture was designed to house the four juristic branches of Sunni Islam in one mosque. Obama will also visit the historic Great Pyramids of Giza. EPA/KHALED EL-FIQI
Cairo/Washington - Many of the 20 million or so residents of the sprawling, frenetically crowded city of Cairo will stay home to watch US President Barack Obama's speech to the Muslim world on Thursday.
They will not have much choice. Obama will crisscross the city several times over his visit. If he travels by car, the already snarled city will be paralyzed - perhaps causing enough annoyance to cancel out whatever reconciliatory gestures he makes in the speech.
Asked about the coming visit, one Cairene stuck in rush-hour traffic with his car motor off - and this on a normal workday - said he planned to stay at home on Thursday to avoid the gridlock.
'All US presidents are the same,' he said. 'But Obama seems like he might be different. If he can really solve all the problems (former US president George W) Bush created, we'll happily empty the city so he can go wherever he likes.'
Obama will face a sceptical crowd in Cairo. On the eve of his visit, many Egyptians say they appreciate the gesture, but that his administration must follow gestures with concrete policy changes to win their hearts and minds.
'Obama's visit will be useless without a concrete change in policy,' said Mohammed Habib, deputy supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group. 'The change Obama brings is in form, not in content.'
Saying the United States and the European Union are not charity groups, Habib added: 'They have their own agendas. We must depend on ourselves.'
Obama is not likely to make any major policy announcements. The speech will touch on his hopes for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, but he is not using this visit to unveil a much- anticipated plan to get the peace process back on track.
Dennis McDonough, US deputy national security adviser, said the speech will be more about 'changing the conversation' with the Arab world, continuing an outreach effort that began with Obama's first interview as president, which was given to Arab network al-Arabiya.
But US conservatives have derided Obama's effort as naive. Kim Holmes, a former US diplomat who now works for the Heritage Foundation, called it an 'apology tour' that will fall on 'deaf ears' in the region.
Ezzedine Choukri Fishere, a former Egyptian diplomat who teaches political science at the American University in Cairo, suggested the region was growing weary of the outreach effort.
'So far there have been nice words and warm hugs, but no action. I'm afraid that time is running out for the new president: the peoples of this region are quick to judge and it won't be long before they cast their verdict,' he said.
Choukri said to truly alter the US image in the region, the Obama administration would have to 'radically shift American policies on Arab-Israeli conflict, Iraq and Afghanistan' among other changes.
While Obama has recognized that securing peace between Israel and the Palestinians is critical to the region, most US experts agree that he is not about to change some of the long-standing policies that have made the US unpopular in the region.
'We're going to have to agree to disagree' on many issues, said Jon Alterman of the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Instead, Obama should 'frame US policy in a way that takes some of the passion out of widespread hostility to the United States.'
Obama's planned visit has drawn vehement criticism from Egyptian opposition and human rights activists, who have said that Obama's choice of Cairo will legitimize President Hosny Mubarak's government. Some had urged him to choose Turkey or Indonesia for the speech.
'No one can legitimize regimes anymore, but Mubarak's is an ill- reputed regime,' newspaper publisher Hisham Qassem said. 'Obama risks discrediting himself by speaking here.'
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton apparently tried to head off such criticism by meeting with Egyptian pro-democracy activists in Washington last week. The White House has also left open the possibility that Obama will meet with some political activists during his trip.
Hani Shukrallah, a member of the editorial board of Cairo's newest independent daily, al-Shuruq, dismissed the objections. The root of the United States' problems with the Muslim world lies in its relations with Arab countries, he argued, and so the address must be delivered from the Arab world.
'All Arab countries are dictatorships. There is no real democracy in the Arab world. If the venue is going to be an Arab country, then it should be Egypt, the cultural and ideological heart of the Arab world.'
Shukrallah credited the Obama administration's 'quieter, less confrontational approach' for securing dissident Saad Eddin Ibrahim's acquittal last week on charges of 'tarnishing Egypt's image abroad' and for securing the February release of Ayman Nour, who spent four years in prison after running against Mubarak in the 2005 presidential elections.
'But the real test,' he said, 'will be the way Obama deals with the Palestinian issue, whether he will bow to Israeli pressure ... or whether he will put his foot down.'
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Older Talkback
page: 1
quote:Thanks Barack. Global religion is a bane, yet you act to legitimize one of it's worst exhibits.
Every religion is based on speculations only,and claims to be the only one to detain the absolute truth ,indeed.
But do you think the president of the USA is legitimizing a particular religion simply by recognizing what the rest of the world already knows for a long time,that for the sake of jewish and evangelical fanatism muslim religion needs to be singled out as the enemy ?
Is not Israel the source of all danger by occupying the land belonging to the palestinians by claiming it belongs to them;the so called chosen ones,after 2000 years of absence ?Does your condemnation of religion include this preposterous claim or do you single out islam only .What about the evangelical extremists that support the genocide of the palestinians for the sake of their own religion:the rapture .Does your indignation include them as well ?
'the so called chosen ones,after 2000 years of absence ?Does your condemnation of religion include this preposterous claim or do you single out islam only .What about the evangelical extremists that support the genocide of the palestinians for the sake of their own religion:the rapture .Does your indignation include them as well ?'
Yes and yes ... of course. You could easily have inferred that by re-reading my post.
But I do like to single out you and your christian and jewish brothers! Were it only possible, I'd wish Jerusalem be dug up, floated out to sea, and sunk - with the lot of you still fighting over it.
''Yes and yes'' meaning:
Yes, I condemn the preposterous claim; and yes, I include the evangelicals in my indignation.
At least your stance against religion is not lopsided,but then again,the trouble in the Middle East is not about religion,that part is only window dressing ,it is aboutpeople having their land occupied for more than 40 years now.They simply want it back and will not give up .That is the core.
I always believed that Satan would reveal himself soon. Armageddon approaches, as the only good book predicts. In bed with the ultra fringe wackos of the biassed MSM, b. saddam HUSSEIN obama is doing the work of the devil. They are intent upon the destruction of the land of the free and home of the brave. But in the revered words of wisdom of our war hero past president- Bring it on!' Although all the infidels will die in a river of blood in Israel, I believe I will go to heaven, and Satan will not triumph in the end times. That's as good as it gets.
A salesman sells you something that you want.
A good salesman sells you something that you don't really want.
A conman sells you something that does not exist.
14 Centuries ago a conman realised this and began to make great promises and in return he ammased great wealth and was able to persue his murderous, womanising and paedophile ambitions. they called him Muhammed.
What always amazes me is that there are over a billion muslims who cannot see through Muhammeds lies?
A salesman sells you something that you want.
SP4 - perhaps
A good salesman sells you something that you don't really want.
SP4 - nonsense. A good salesman makes a deal where both parties are happy.
A conman sells you something that does not exist.
SP4 - perhaps
14 Centuries ago a conman realised this and began to make great promises and in return he ammased great wealth and was able to persue his murderous, womanising and paedophile ambitions. they called him Muhammed.
What always amazes me is that there are over a billion muslims who cannot see through Muhammeds lies?
SP4 - this is because, like you, they WANT to believe what is not true and prefer not to think for themselves.
All dictators that are our allies are good people, even if they kill torture and make any opponents they have to disappear into thin air!
It doesn’t matter that this person called president of Egypt was never elected and has been there for over 28 years using terror and oppression and murder and torture tactics, as long as he serves our interests he is good!
And that is why we have sent our champion of justice and honor, the president of the USA BARRACK OBAMA to prove that we support him and his regime, just in case those primitive Egyptians plan a revolution or some other stupid pro democracy and freedom stunt.
We have to prove to the whole world that we favor and that we will help any dictator that is willing to destroy democracy in his country and kill and torture to take power, as long as he serves our interests!
That is why OBAMA champion of justice and honor and CHANGE must go there and show his support for this nice person, in order to sent out to the entire world a clear and loud message!
THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY, THE AMERICAN WAY!
King Abdullah presented Obama with a huge gold necklace as a gift.
When he laid eyes on that awesome piece of blingarama, Obama said : 'Goodness gracious, now that's something!' as if he has beholding a very special gift his little girl had made just for him in arts class.
I LIKE that about him.
And he's deliciously devious, too. He decided to go for the black / minority vote and that strategy eventually bagged him the presidency. He's not even a real negro! He's just one of them black Irishmen, and his real name was O'Bama before he purposefully changed it to the African-sounding Obama.
Ok, ok. That was a stupid lie. But if enough of us repeat this lie, I'll bet you anything Limbaugh will eventually rant about it on his show. That would make my day, I tell ya!
Now for that Muslim world thing. I say : Yes, Virginia, there is a Muslim world.
You just can't say 'the Arab world'. Some Muslims are yellow, some are black; they're all over the place and a bunch of them are not Arabs at all. Deal with it.
The foot soldiers of terrorism. The taliban and Al Qaeda and other assorted terrorist organizations rooted in Islam are mostly made up of idiots just like those All-American prison converts to Islam they keep finding under every rock, planning harebrained schemes to get cash from their undercover handlers. Now imagine those assholes in a dirt poor village in a third world country. But they're not assholes anymore, they're just uneducated because they have only access to religious schools and nothing else.
In those religious schools, a respected Man Of God tells them that if they're poor and uneducated, it's the Crusader's fault. If their child died of disease from bad water, it's the Crusader's fault. If bombs destroyed their livelihood and pushed them into exodus, it's the Crusader's fault. Some will believe it and I can understant that, some will try to better their lives profiting from terrorism, some will be coerced into a corner and left with no other choice.
The overwhelming majority of Muslims just work, love their children, worship God and try to live happy, fruitful and peaceful lives.
The only thing we could fault them with is that they never did anything to rein in their blood crazed imams and terrorist recruiters.
But then again, thrash like Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh make huge amounts of money to spread hatred and encourage discord and stupidity.
So go figure...
Spitfire
Rizwan Khan from New Delhi, India. Jun 4th, 2009 - 08:20:52
Hi,
It is good that Mr. Obama is trying to make a bridge between the America and Muslim world. No need to mentions the mistakes made by Bush administrations. Who is responsible of so many killings in Iraq, it is all happening because of imposing war on Iraq by America. But it is surprising how they will achieve good relations still they are talking tough to Iran and continue killing in Afghanistan. America may thinks them as anemy but for muslims they are like brothers. If Amrica wants peace with muslims, should not struggle with Iran and stop killings in Afghanistan otherwise, I am 100% sure, it will never get anything, like Bush Administration. I am a muslim from India, thanks.
Bring back the military dictator Musharraf to Pakistan. He was our only true friend in the war on terror. He kept osama bin laden in hiding, with the other 9/11 terrorist planners in al qaeda and taliban. And he was helping protect nuclear bomb technolgy by only giving it to N. Korea and Syria, our other friends in the war on terror. Now, with Musharraf gone, and a lousy democracy in place in Pakistan, the terrorists want to take over the whole country. Apparently 10 billion dollars wasn't enough money to keep him in power, so we should offer him at least double to do another military coupt d etat. Democracy is not good for women or children.
page: 1
speech to Muslim world !Jun 2nd, 2009 - 15:57:51
This is a shame. Acknowledgement of a 'muslim world' plays into the collective psychosis that is islam (yes, and other major religions); while ignoring the divisions and factions this psychosis denies about it's own 'world'.
Thanks Barack. Global religion is a bane, yet you act to legitimize one of it's worst exhibits.
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