US President calls for "new beginning" in historic address to Muslims

2009-06-04

US President Barack Obama addressed several issues that are sources of tension between the US and the Muslim world. He also said education and innovation will be the currency of the 21st century.

[Getty Images] "America is not at war with Islam," US President Barack Obama told an audience at Cairo University.

In a historic speech delivered at Cairo University on Thursday (June 4th), US President Barack Obama addressed the sources of tension between the US and the Islamic world, affirming that "America is not at war with Islam" and calling for a "new beginning".

"I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world… one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles – principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings," he said.

Obama highlighted the achievements of Islamic culture in math and science, as well as Muslims' contributions to American culture and society. He noted that the first nation to recognise the United States was Morocco, a Muslim nation.

He said that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't, adding that, "just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire."

Obama said that his country is not at war with Islam but will "relentlessly confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to [US] security."

The American president said that violent extremists have exploited tensions between the US and Muslims – tensions that he said were fed by colonialism, the Cold War and the "sweeping change" brought by modernity and globalisation.

He said their actions are "irreconcilable with the rights of human beings, the progress of nations, and with Islam. 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. The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few. Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism – it is an important part of promoting peace. "

He acknowledged that the fear and anger that the September 11th attacks provoked in the US led to actions contrary to American ideals. "We are taking concrete actions to change course. I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year. "

The president drew applause after greeting the audience in Arabic and quoting from the Holy Qur'an four times.

The speech was broadcast live on television and streamed live on the internet and on Facebook, where many in the US and the Muslim world exchanged comments as it unfolded. Many hailed the speech as "historic" and called for continued dialogue between America and the Muslim world.

The president addressed several issues that he said are sources of tension when it comes to how Muslims view the United States, including Iraq and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

He said the war in Iraq "reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible," vowing to "support a secure and united Iraq as a partner, and never as a patron."

Obama also spoke of the suffering endured by both Palestinians and Israelis, "two peoples with legitimate aspirations, each with a painful history that makes compromise elusive." He said the only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security. He called on Palestinians to abandon violence and on Israelis to take concrete steps to enable progress in the daily lives of the Palestinian people.

"All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without fear; when the Holy Land of three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims."

On the issue of nuclear proliferation, Obama reaffirmed America's commitment to "seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons".

The president also addressed the issues of democracy, religious freedom, and women's rights.

He said that while "no system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other", governments that support universal ideas such as the rule of law, transparency and personal freedoms are "ultimately more stable, successful and secure".

He criticised those who "advocate for democracy only when they are out of power", noting that "elections alone do not make true democracy".

Addressing a mixed audience of young Egyptian men and women from various political and religious beliefs, Obama called for upholding religious diversity and reviving the spirit of tolerance that existed in Andalusia and in countries like Indonesia, where he said he saw Christians worshipping freely in an overwhelmingly Muslim country. He also called on Western countries to "avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit."

Obama rejected the view of some in the West that women who choose to wear the hijab are less equal. "But I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality," he said, adding his belief that "Our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons".

The US president noted that his country supports several literacy and entrepreneurial programs for Muslim women.

On economic development, Obama said that no development strategy can be based only upon what comes out of the ground – in reference to oil – nor can it be sustained while young people are out of work. He called on all to "recognise that education and innovation will be the currency of the 21st century, and in too many Muslim communities there remains underinvestment in these areas."

The US president said his country is now seeking broader engagement with the Muslim world by expanding student exchange programmes, and creating business partnerships with Muslim-majority countries.

A new fund will support technological development in Muslim-majority countries, and to help transfer ideas to the marketplace so they can create jobs. "The US will also open centres of scientific excellence in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and appoint new Science Envoys to collaborate on programs that develop new sources of energy, create green jobs, digitize records, clean water, and grow new crops."

"I know there are many – Muslim and non-Muslim – who question whether we can forge this new beginning," Obama told the crowd. "Many more are simply sceptical that real change can occur… But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward. And I want to particularly say this to young people of every faith, in every country – you, more than anyone, have the ability to re-imagine the world, to remake this world."

Read a transcript of the speech here.