In a stunning speech, greeted with cries of “I Love You” from the students of Cairo University, President Obama called for…
A new beginning between the United States and Muslims
This is seen as a pivotal moment this side of the Atlantic, and of course throughout the Middle East and the broader Muslim world, and President Obama breaks with the theocon extremities of the Bush era, to appeal to the peace loving instincts of Islam.
The full text of the speech can be found here.
There’s plenty to digest, so consider this an open thread on the Cairo speech and foreign policy.
My favourite bit so far: the oft quoted Surah which should trump anything said about apostates in the Hadith.
The Holy Qur’an teaches that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind … Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism – it is an important part of promoting peace
Here’s where Obama draws a line between himself and the more evangelical(crusading?) premises of neocon interventionism:
America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election. But 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
More significantly though, the most contentious and forthright statement was making a direct link between the existential rights to exist of Israel and Palestine.
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.
I’ll happily forget the slight double-take over prisoner abuse photos if Obama is going to step into the ring so boldly in this arena: probably one of the most important issues of our time.
Just as he did in Philadelphia, Obama has used his back story and personal knowledge (his time spent in Indonesia) to force us to think out of those old polarities of race and religion.
But what does the Moose think? How does this go down in the US? Does it convince the centre as well as the liberal left? And as for the far right… can the deranged ever be saved? Is this just more evidence he’s a secret Muslim?
43 comments