Cairo last Thursday : From its opening phrases, the speech was laden with respectful gestures to Muslims. Obama said it was part of his responsibilities as president to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear. He quoted the Quran: be conscious of God and always speak the truth to underscore his call for a new relationship based on mutual interest and respect. He referred to Iran by its full name, the Islamic Republic of Iran, said Islamic countries had been victimized by colonialism as well as the Cold War era struggle between the United States and the former Soviet Union. 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, he said. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith. The battle against terrorists will continue, in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere, Obama said, despite the animosity the operations have helped created toward the U.S. among Muslims. Americas commitment will not weaken. Yet he remarked, as he did in a speech to another important Muslim audience, in Turkey, that America is not _ and never will be _ at war with Islam. Obama called Iraq, unlike Afghanistan, a war of choice, and explained his plan to withdraw American combat troops next year and his reversal of Bush-era policies in the pursuit of terrorists that have enraged Muslims the world over. Obama said flatly that he has banned torture and will close the detested Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba next year.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:03:29 +0000
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