Obama's message of "respect" to Islam
THERE was a great deal of excitement in the Muslim community about what a US president, who shares his middle name "Hussein" with the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (sm), had to say in Cairo.
With his Muslim background and his personification of the American dream, Obama is singularly placed to recast America's relations with Muslims. And he did not fail the latter's expectations.
On June 4, it was extraordinary for the audience in the hall room of Cairo University to hear a US President commence his speech with an Islamic salutation: Assalamo Alaikum (Peace be upon you).
When President Obama extended his Islamic greetings; Muslims around the world were surprised, euphoric and thrilled.
He quoted the Holy Quran -- "Be conscious of God and always speak the truth" -- to underscore his call for a new relationship based on mutual interest and respect.
"As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan (prayer call) 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."
Obama declared that America had a common cause with Islam and would never be at war with the faith -- an overture intently watched by the Muslim world and welcomed in unlikely quarters.
"America and Islam are not exclusive," he said, "and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings."
He pledged a "new beginning between the US and Muslims around the world." He urged America and the Islamic world to drop their suspicions of one another and forge new alliances to confront violent extremism and heal religious divides.
Obama spoke for 55-minutes. His address was laced with respect for touchstones of the religion. He said that the time had come to "speak the truth" and "seek a new beginning."
Like a professor, he touched on several themes in the speech, namely, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, democracy, religious freedom, women's rights and economic development and opportunity.
As regards women's rights, he cited Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia -- Muslim-majority countries that have elected women as heads of government.
Obama made substantial efforts to reach out to the Islamic community and rebuild bridges after the disastrous legacy of his predecessor George W. Bush. He signalled a willingness to re-establish diplomatic ties with Iran, made some comments in sympathy with the Palestinians, and called for an end to Israel's expansion of settlements in the West Bank. Obama used and spoke of "Palestine," not a "future Palestinian state." This is very significant in political terms.
He referred to Iran by its full name, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and said that Islamic countries had been victimised by colonialism as well as the Cold War era struggle between US and the former Soviet Union.
Most importantly, in a speech he gave to the Turkish Parliament last April, Obama repeatedly used a word that Muslims were anxious to hear from American leaders; "respect." The word signals an acceptance that mutual respect is the cornerstone of building a new relationship between the West and the Islamic world.
The tone -- even the vocabulary -- he used will have the greatest impact, because the golden thread that ran through every paragraph was a simple but a new idea, respect for the Arab and the Muslim worlds.
Muslims may take inspiration from Obama's address. But ignorance has been the worst enemy for Muslims. The Muslim world faces very stark realities and challenges.
Although the Muslim world controls 60% of the world's known oil reserves, its gross GDP stands at $1,200 billion, a paltry sum compared with Germany's $3,322 billion and Japan's $4,800 billion.
Majority Muslim countries suffer severe economic sclerosis, because most scholars believe that they pay little attention to educational and scientific development.
It will be the Muslims that will have to bear the burden of making the painful reforms to revitalise the Muslim world with scientific and technological knowledge.
About the Islamic community, former PM of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir Mohammad, at the OIC Summit in Kuala Lumpur in 2003, said: "Some believe that poverty is Islamic, sufferings and being oppressed are Islamic. Some preach that the world is not for us. Ours are the joys of heaven in the afterlife. All we have to do is to perform certain rituals, wear certain garments and put up a certain appearance."
What is often overlooked is that the Islamic world is in an uncertain position in the 21st century. There are at least two groups -- supporters of the orthodox interpretation of Islam and supporters of a moderate and tolerant version of Islam.
The strength of the debate between the two groups is likely to determine the future of Islam. Ultimately, Muslims must take responsibility for themselves in bringing Islam back to its true destiny -- to be a beacon of hope, progress and leadership for the world.
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