Barack Obama's Speech to the Muslim World

The speech was such propaganda. I'm Muslim as well. I was offended by the speech. Obama wants Palestinians to use non-violence like Gandhi and Mandela? Why doesn't Obama tell Israel to use non-violence like Gandhi and Mandela? Why doesn't Obama himself use non-violence like Gandhi and Mandela in Afghanistan and Pakistan instead of killing civilians in air strikes and drone attacks? Obama wants Iran to stop its nuclear program even though the IAEA has stated that there is no evidence that it is a weapons program. So the US (the only country ever to actually use nuclear bombs) is allowed to have actual nukes while Iran is not even allowed to have a civilian nuclear program? Why doesn't Obama first dismantle America's nuclear arsenal, and then maybe he'll have some credibility to speak out against Iran's nuclear program. As a Muslim, I am offended that you would compare American ideals to Islamic values. A nation built on Islamic values would not have dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or helped Israel occupy and humiliate Palestinians for 6 decades, or allowed Israel to use white phosphorus against Lebanese civilians while condemning Hamas and Hezbollah's inaccurate home-made rockets that rarely kill anyone, or supported further sanctions against Iran when it's the less fortunate Iranians that end up suffering, or killing and terrorizing Pashtun women and children in the Af-Pak region. I don't view Obama as the main threat to Islam. I view Muslims who buy into Obama's propaganda as the main threat to Islam.

Swinginjazz, I love hearing another Muslim's view on Obama's speech. It is great that we have a difference in opinion. But I do believe that violence is not the answer to anything. I also do not beleive in military operations in Pakistan, Afghanisatan and Iraq. But remember Obama wants to find common ground and start the discussion. We can only start the discussion if we put the past behind and move forward to find a solution. Violence and hatred is not the answer, peace and understanding is....

Swinginjazz; was it religious fervor or Politics that put those planes
into the towers on 9/11 ?...you suggest Islamic values would NOT used
weapons suchas were used on Hiroshima. Has Pakistan ( a purported
Islamic state) destroyed their nuclear capacity? While I too see the
one-sided muscle that Israel applies against the plight of the Palestinians and agree it is asinine of Obama to preach Peace and apply
Military might at the same time; How does one begin the process of Peace if not through initial dialogue? The longest journey always
begins with first steps. Like Bruce Springsteen sings in a song on
The Rising...let the living let us live; before the dead tear up apart!
There have been injustices in the past..no doubt..and mistakes..no
doubt..and there will be others. Recriminations and remembered hatreds
are potholes on the road to Peace that only compromise and pragmatism
can fill. IMO

Thanks Slydog and I agree with you 100%

Not to start a major debate or argument, but... the Palestinians, a' la Yasser Arafat, twice walked away from peace and the chance for their own land; not ot mention the initial decline of their own homeland by the UN at the same time Israel was given theirs.

How are your supposed to answer attacks made by people who surround you and refuse to even talk?

Factually incorrect.

A returning Jew is granted Israeli citizenship if they can show that their mother is Jewish. That is why there was such a huge influx of Russian Jews in Israel after the fall of the Soviet Union. Many of the settlers in the West Bank happen to be American-born Jews who did "aliyah," i.e. migrating to the state of Israel. The are obligated to complete the mandatory service in the Israel Defense Force, and then they can live in Israel as citizens.

If Jewish people have the right to return to the land of their ancestors after 2,000 years, then it is only fair that Palestinians should also have the right to return to the land of their ancestors after 60 years. If there's no right of return for Palestinians, then I am not in favour of peace with Israel.

The 19 hijackers were not trying to convert anybody to Islam. The lead hijacker Mohammad Atta's classmates at university in Hamburg told reporters that he would get emotional when talking about the plight of the Palestinians. Thus, it was less religious fervor and more politics. Pakistan's founder was a secular man (Mohammad Ali Jinnah), and Pakistan's nuclear arsenal was developed by a secular man (i.e. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto). These men did not represent Islam, since Islam does not permit separatism from a non-Muslim majority, nor does it permit nukes. Muslims cannot have real dialogue with Obama as long as he continues to try and crush the Iranian people through sanctions, and as long as the civilian to terrorist ratio in the drone attacks in Af-Pak is greater than 1, and as long as Palestinian mothers have to watch the skin melt off of the bones of their children as Israel drops chemical weapons on them. Before Muslims embrace Obama with open arms, we must demand that he stop hurting us. If we embrace him while he's hurting us, then he will likely proceed to hurt us in the years to come.

I don't think there is a specific reference to nuclear weapons in the Quran or hadith; but the principle of killing millions with the press of a button is debatable.

If you listen to Obama's speech, he mentioned a specific Qur'anic verse that basically says that if you take a life you kill all of humanity, and if you save a life you save all of humanity. Nuclear weapons can kill people (forbidden in the Qur'an), kill animals (forbidden in the Qur'an), kill plant life (forbidden in the Qur'an), and ruin the environment through the radiation (also forbidden in the Qur'an). Possessing, developing, selling, or buying nuclear weapons is completely forbidden in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would never have approved of any nation having nukes.

But..if we are to believe that Osama Bin Laden was the "Mastermind" behind the attack and he is a professed Islamic Fundamentalist & Jihadist..does that not make it quasi religious? We both know thu
history that Politics and Religion are so intwined as to be inseparable. Iwas glad to see Obama at least touched upon past poltical
mistakes in the region (ie establishment of the Shah in Iran)...and.
Like you...the use of white phosphorus in Gaza & elsewhere is abhorrent to me and deserves prosecution by the UN or The Hague.
At least Obama is "reaching out" rather than following the pre-emptive
policy of the previous administration...you know...instead of walking
softly and carrying a big stick; just "sucker-punch" your perceived
enemies first and sort it out later!

"Walking softly and carrying a big stick" was Ted Roosevelt's motto. He was the first American imperialist president. When he visited Egypt, he said that Egypt (which was under British occupation at the time) was not "ready" for freedom. And then Roosevelt told the British that it's necessary for "civilization" to use brute force to put the "uncivilized" people in their place. Obama is just like Roosevelt, but he pretends to be like Martin Luther King. At least Roosevelt was honest about his anti-Muslim prejudice. Obama tries to conceal his Islamophobia.

Singinjazzz, I feel your passion, I am very passionate about the Muslim cause, the wars the blood shed and believe me I was very wary of Obama last year. especially as he renounced being Muslim so many times last year.

But he is extending an olive branch, no other US president has done this before. We as Muslims need to give him the benefit of the doubt. We need to help him for all our sakes. I agree with you that Obama needs to stop military operations again all the Muslim countries, including Zardari to stop what is going on in Swat...Because having economic development and strong institutions in the Muslim countries are very important and only way for us to move forward. We resolve the conflicts and move towards peace.

amra1, yours is a moving and triumphant story that emphasizes there should be no beliefs or borders limiting us from pursuing our dreams, so every possible option on this earth can be explored without bounds or tethers. And fundamentally, I cannot understand or tolerate hatred or conflicts or bloodshed between peoples that for millennia have been neighbors, friends, and fellow human beings. I've marched in the streets of America for peace and in protest of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and conflict in Gaza (and Vietnam in my earlier days). And even as a Jew, I believe that Israel should be held accountable for its blatant oppression against the Palestinians, then bridled, and a Palestinian state expeditiously created. Obama should be supported to succeed in bringing peace to the Middle East and ending the bloodshed. amra1, thank you for this very inspiring story and providing a platform where we as a global community can interact, have free and open dialog, seek common understanding, and bring the world together in peace. - jongleur

Thank you Jongleur, we all need to united in bringing peace and progress to humanity as Jews, Muslims and Christians.

Don't forget Buddhists! (which don't tend to fight too much)

Slydog, you are very right, Buddhists too :-)

A very well-written article Amra1 about yourself and about the contents of Obama's speech in Cairo.Basically,his main message to the Muslim World is peace and treating all religions esp.Muslims with respect and dignity.But wars have to end and mutual trust developed among all religions of the world.

Thanks FauziaSultana!

I have met more good Muslims in the U.S. than I have met in Pakistan, no matter they were something else in name. I have met more good , honest, hard-working people there who didn't go to a mosque to prove their love for God, or their belief. They just did the right thing and the best they could. The names we throw out are so superficial, since I know so many dishonest and ugly people here who consider themselves Muslim, because they fast or pray, but whom I would say are the furthest thing from it. Let's consider it's not the names we give ourselves, but our conduct that defines what we are. And good people are good people no matter where they are and whether you call them christians, muslims, jews or buddhists. As far as politics goes, Obama is a politician and a damn good one; he is walking the thin red line on a variety of issues, the biggest being a clash of civilisations, but his message is simple; good people have to work together and reject the biases and prejudices of names and so on. He is also working within the constraints of a political system that is skewed in certain ways, to expect him to come in and blow everything to hell immediately is silly (e.g. if he forces the drones he has to give way on health care reform), it is a balancing act. So give the man time, he is obviously doing his best. How far can we trust him; well, he's a politician, but he has potential to be an artist.

Changez, there are good, honest, hard-working people everywhere. America does not have a monopoly on good, honest, hard-working people. However, America does seem to have more pro-torture people than most other industrialized nations. A recent poll showed that more than half of Americans believe that torture can be justified in the name of national security. So much for "American ideals."

Obama likes to talk about "American ideals." In a recent speech, he stated that America must never forsake its ideals for political expediency. But then Obama proceeded to do just that: he refused to release the torture photos because he knew that releasing them would hurt him politically since most Americans like torture. The American people are easy to mislead due to the fact that they are naive and gullible. They voted for an experienced man in 2000, and then they repeated the same mistake in 2008.

Bush at least campaigned to get the Muslim vote. He visited mosques, he mentioned Arabs in his debates with Gore. Obama, on the other hand, stayed as far away from Muslims as possible. Why? Because he is a politician. He will not do something that hurts him politically. He is the kind of guy that would eject 2 hijab-wearing supporters from a campaign rally. As a politician, he tries to appeal to his audience. If the audience is non-Muslim, Obama will conceal his Muslim heritage. If the audience is Muslim, Obama will talk endlessly about his Muslim heritage.

What does Obama actually believe? What are his real convictions? Who is the real Obama? We will never know. Why? Because he is a politician. He never would have made the Cairo speech if Americans were totally hostile towards the Arab/Muslim world. But since Americans seem to favour dialogue, Obama went for it. He did it for political reasons, not because he suddenly cares about Muslims. President Bush and Condi Rice would say extremely nice things about Islam and Muslims every year when they would host the annual Iftar dinner at the White House.

So Obama saying nice things about Islam is nothing new. And right after 9/11, Bush actually removed his shoes, entered a mosque, and declared Islam to be a religion of peace... even though that was not politically smart at the time. Would Obama have done the same thing if Muslims had attacked the US? It's far more likely that Obama would have fired any of his staffers that were wearing a hijab. Obama is a politician. He knows what actions to take and what actions not to take depending on which way the political winds are blowing.

Obama is totally Machiavellian. If he believes that truth and justice are American values, then he should release the photos regardless of the political consequences... and he should prosecute Bush and Cheney who authorized the torture. But see, Obama does not believe in truth and justice. He does not believe in American values. He is a politician... nothing more, nothing less.

You say that we should give him some time. We've given him 5 months. Has he apologized for million dead Iraqis. Not really. Has he withdrawn troops from Iraq? No, and he won't withdraw any time soon. Has he withdrawn from Afghanistan? No, he's escalating that conflict. Has he called for Israel to completely pull out of the West Bank? No, he just called for an end to building more settlements. Has he removed sanctions on Iran? No. Has he ended the sanctions on Cuba? No. Has he tried to help Pakistan? Well, he has promised $1.5 billion a year, which for a country of 180 million people amounts to like $ 8 per person. Israel, a tiny country of about 6 million, gets way more aid from the US than Pakistan every will. Why? Because it is politically expedient for a US President to help Israel rather than a Muslim country.

Obama made a speech to Muslims... not to Buddhists, or Taoists, or Confucianists, or Hindus, or Sikhs. Why? Because Obama knows in his heart of hearts than these religions have not been treated as unfairly by the US as Muslims have. By making the speech, Obama acknowledged that the US has historically treated Muslims worse than other people of faith. People that say we should look to the future instead of the past sound just like Obama. Can a criminal defense attorney say in court, "My client Bernie Madoff committed a crime, but that was in the past. Lets look to the future. Lets not focus so much on the fact that my client stole millions of dollars. Lets forgive and forget." That defense would never hold up in a court of law.

So then what gives Obama the right to say that we should forget about the torture of Muslims and not prosecute anybody for it? When nobody gets prosecutes for torture, it becomes legal... since the next person who gets tried for torture can just say, "Hey, we didn't prosecute Bush and Cheney for it so why are you guys prosecuting me?" Obama has created a legal precedent for torture. Anybody who thinks Obama is sincere is clearly thinking with his/her heart rather than his/her head. Do you really think Obama is "doing his best?" People seem to have low benchmarks with respect to performance these days.

There are two things here; the first is that Obama doesn't necessarily see the world in terms of religious belief; i.e. maybe he doesn't think of how the U.S. treats Muslims in general but how it reacts to specific situations. Muslims in the U.S. do ok; the war as you see it is not between the U.S. and Muslims or the 'West' and 'Islam'. At least that is possibly not how Obama views it regardless of how others view it. He is a politician but if he manages to stop Israeli settlement building and create a Palestinian state then he could believe the world is flat and fairies sing him to sleep every night for all I care. That's my point, let's view things rationally instead of emotionally and work together with people of all faiths etc. to solve our common human problems. When it comes down to it, different Muslim states were superpowers, they got beaten so obviously the victors wanted to make sure they had the upper hand; same thing happened to China - they were ground into dust after being a global superpower for 2000 years, and yes racism etc. was an ugly side to colonial domination. But the Chinese learned and moved on and didn't strive for revenge, just self-improvement. It's that simple.

Hi Amra,
First I would like to say Thank you for sharing with all of us about your life and wish you well. You have travelled an interesting journey.

I can see a lot of valid points being shared for both sides of the conflicts. I personally believe that even a great man/woman, no matter who he/she is cannot resolve any of these issues as they run too deeply within the human psyche.

It will take generations, which brings me to the next subject: birthrate. Do a little investigation, get a few facts, and find out where our world will be in 50 years?

Just food for thought; wish you a good and a good life.
louisp

If Mr. Obama didn't see the world in terms of religious belief, then he would not have made a speech designed for the 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. He apparently is aware of how Muslims have been treated, and that's why he mentioned specific Muslim grievances. But they were just words; they were not policy changes.

Nobody has said anything about Muslims in the US; the point being made is that the US has been unjust towards Muslims outside the US. And this is what needs to change. Nobody has said anything about Islam and the West either; the point being made is that Muslims are being mistreated by the United States of America, and occupied against their will; after all, the US is not facing violent resistance in any of the non-Muslim countries it is occupying (e.g. Germany and Japan).

As President, Mr. Obama should stop mistreating Muslims. I would ask him to stop mistreating all people regardless of their religion; but as it happens, the people being mistreated by Mr. Obama are mostly Muslims. Coincidence? I think not. I would ask him to stop the mistreatment.

Mr. Obama will not create a Palestinian state because the Israelis are not willing to make concessions after being brutalized for 2,000 years. Finally, they have their own state and they have the ability to protect themselves. Why in the world would they want a potentially hostile Arab state established right next to them? There is a limit to how much Mr. Obama can pressure Israel. The US Congress will never allow the termination of aid to Israel. So there is absolutely no way Obama can get the Israelis to do anything other than dismantle a couple of settlements as a purely public relations exercise done for show.

The people that have been swayed by Mr. Obama are the ones who are thinking emotionally rather than rationally. A rational person would ask, "Where are the changes that have been made since Obama has come to office?" Although he has outlawed torture, the US has still maintained the extraordinary rendition program that allows the US to use information gained from US allies like Egypt and Jordan torturing detainees.

And although Mr. Obama claims to want to close down Guantanamo Bay, he has been dragging his feet when it comes to bringing the detainees to the US and trying them before a civilian court. I'm being totally rational. What is the difference between Obama and Bush? The people that are not being rational are the ones who are talking about what a great guy Obama just because he gives a good speech.

Nobody is talking about striving for revenge; the point being made is that all the world powers should be more just and fair in their policies towards the less developed world. That is my whole point. Anybody who would argue against me is clearly arguing for the perpetuation of injustice and unfairness in the world. Mr. Obama talked about "violent extremism" as if that's the biggest problem. So-called "violent extremism" is caused by war, occupation, and the political/economic/social inequities in the world. Why didn't Mr. Obama acknowledge that?

It is hard for anyone to do self-improvement when their livelihoods are being affected by sanctions/blockades or when they are living under the constant threat of bombing/artillery. Speaking out against injustice is the right thing to do. Anybody who believes otherwise is either unaware of the necessity of speaking truth to power, or is himself/herself the power that is perpetuating the injustice.

Let us be clear that it is not Muslims in general that are being mistreated by the United States, but two countries are occupied that have Muslim majorities. Like I said before, Obama could worship the tooth fairy for all I care as long as he takes a rational view of how to solve the real problems that confront establishing just and peaceful relations in the middle east and else where. Religio-nationalist sentiments like your own are misplaced since they speak to a persecution complex that is the inevitable hangover of two centuries of colonialism.

This is not an argument for the perpetuation of injustice or oppression in the world, but the recognition that these things exist and must be dealt with aside from finger pointing. Bush acknowledged long ago that the roots of terrorism lay in poverty and oppression and then he went ahead and invaded Iraq anyway.

When it comes to war or injustice then we should look at ourselves first. West Pakistan killed a million Bengalis in 1971; yet we don't speak of it. How many other atrocities have there been? And as far as injustice by the US, then the south and Central American countries or Vietnam, or Korea are primary examples, so a sense of particularly Muslim victimisation is misplaced.

What I am saying is that so far Obama has taken steps no President before him has made, particularly in identifying the root causes of the Palestinian problem that can be solved through practical measures. There are many Israelis in Israel who would love to see a two-state solution and support it because they know that the existence of Israel and peace in the region depends on it. Institutions within their government often try to subvert this but then that is the nature of power hungry politicians. If you speak to Palestinians or Israeli peace activists, they will agree that the settlements issue is the main block to a comprehensive peace deal. If we condemn Obama’s initiative before it is even begun then the chances of a solution decrease anyway.

No one is arguing about whether developed countries should be fairer towards the developed world, but in reality that rarely happens, and it can only happen at all if we recognise when a politician is trying to do that against over-whelming odds and while balancing a host of complex issues (many of which take precedence over foreign relations).

It is possible that I am wrong and that Obama is lying through his teeth and intends only to expand Israeli settlements and invade Syria, Iran etc. But until such time as that happens I am (a) willing to give him a chance and (b) I think as a practical man he knows he won’t get re-elected if he doesn’t deliver on some of his major foreign policy declarations, since those also directly influence the American economy in our globalised world.

Dear sir amra1,
Very very nice report.
Thank you .
Yours sincerely,
aarana.

Dear sir amra1,
Nice to read you on this news.
It is simply superb.
Yours sincerely,
sonalbenanilkumarrana.

It is no good for any country people to be governed by the gun as do the
Palestinians and having fear instilled in them by their own elected so called government. The Palestinian people elected Hamas to govern for five years after the Hamas leader lied to the Palestinian people that he
would bring in democracy. As soon as he was elected out came the guns and
bang - bang - bang not only against the Jews but the Palestinian people who opposed the violence. Get your facts correct Swingingjazz and stop
twisting things to suit yourself. Just remember, Palestinians were people without a country after the three day war, and Israel gave them
the Westbank but Arafat being the criminal leader of the P.L.O, could never accept peace because he was a murderer. Westbank wasn't enough for him, he wanted too much because of greed and look where it got him
in the end. Don't tell me that Hamas are not the attackers of humanity
that they are not the killers and murdurers as they used to be during
the life of Arafat. He never tried to stop them and he was a fool at that because he couldn't recognize the signs of the changing times. He
wanted everything and got nothing except a wooden box. Sure Barack Obama will try to make peace and violence should not be tolerated. That doesn't mean as you tend to imply that Israel and the world should take it all sitting down while the Hamas turn their guns on them and start bombing and murdering everybody. 6/6/2009.

You do know that HAMAS began in 1987 under Israeli patronage as a counter to the PLO right?

Yes but Hamas will not stop murdering the people. Hesbolah in Lebanon are
now running for Lebanese elections. They are bribing people by buying votes but The Lebanese communi8ty in Australia told the news crew, we are
not going to vote for them because they are only rebels. They don't deserve to get our votes. 7/6/2009.

Amra1,

Thank you for your story, you have obviously put your parent's values to good use! It is so refreshing to read about your enthusiasm for globalization and your belief that we are "interconnected and share similar values." I completely agree and hope that this belief will be what brings people/nations together. Thanks again and I think your story shows that you are already well on your way towards making a difference in this world.

Actions are louder than words. Mr Obama has to call bcak his armies from Afghanistan. US govt and army are responsible forthe bloodbath in Afghanista,Iraq and the tribal areas of Pakistan. The US army has no justification to occupy Afghanistan for their material and political gains. The Muslims all over the world are peaceloving and have never committed aggression against any nation of the world. Mr Obama needs to call back US led NATO armies from Afghanistan if he is really interested to make the world an abode of peace. He should not play in the hands of CIA and FBI officials.

Dear Amra
Why Obama does,t accept the mistake made by bush when they attacked Iraq ,even the US Official did,t find any Mass destruction weapons in Iraq,,,but they brutally attacked iraq as well as in Afghanistan and have killed thousands of innocent muslims....

thanks friend ,Its a very nice informative and fact based news ,congratulation u.Its mirror for terrorists and extremism,islam a universal religion,has no such teaching ,its whole message based on love to humanity.what jihad these are exploiding we have not any concern with it.Our prophet(peace be upon him )is our role model.

Most religions are universal, like Sikhism, or Buddhism, or Christianity. One can always convert to them if one wants. It is a metter of lifestyle choices and learning from all of them to create a way of life you find acceptable, and that others around you accept as well.

In the end, even if we want to live alone, as hermits, there will still be social interaction, and unless one wants to live a completely secluded life, it is better to find ways that one is able to live in society. That means finding socially acceptable ways for oneself, while still maintaining one's own personal beliefs, whatever they are.

Every religion is great in its own way. They key is to realise that everyone thinks their religion is the best and so none of them really are. It is just a matter of getting along and being humble about one's beliefs rather than arrogant.

It all comes down to respect. Unfortunately many people who are deeply religious believe theirs is the ONLY way and will do whatever they feel is necessary to ensure that - including war.
What's really interesting is that I am not aware of any religion that actually promotes war; yet these same people willingly go to war over what they believe.