Islam Dunk

Interesting to gauge international reactions to President Obama’s address to the Muslim world from Cairo (and not from the usual beach resort hotels where international leaders normally make such speeches). You could hear pro-Obama cheers and chants in the audience, and clearly most moderate Egyptians, still a little skeptical, were swayed in the right direction. I could feel Israeli teeth-gritting as the President addressed heavy handed Israeli tactics, denounced the expansion of West Bank (“Palestine”) Jewish settlements and actually addressed Hamas (and hence recognized them), even though he admonished them to accept Israel as a legitimate country and stop their military attacks against that nation. Obama also called the bond between the U.S. and Israel “unbreakable.”

It was a pretty long speech at Cairo University – 55 minutes – but it was important shift in U.S. policy. Notably absent were mentions of “terrorism” and “terrorists,” a profound line of demarcation from just about every vector of the Bush administration. As former Vice President, Richard Cheney, justified to the press now-banned interrogation tactics and his wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, calling for a continuation of the American hard line, his voice seemed to slide into the pages of “what was then” – ever so much more an historical reference. Even the architect of a significant amount of Bush-administration “toughness” (particularly the Iraq war), Paul Wolfowitz, noted in the June 5^th NY Times: “I could have used less moral equivalence, but he had to get through to his audience, and it’s in America’s interest for him to get through.”

The President, as predicted, described his father’s Muslim faith and his time living in Muslim nation (Indonesia). He uttered “mea culpas” for many American missteps in the Middle East, but he also spoke of “Palestine” as presently existing entity instead of a possible future nation. He noted the suffering of the Palestinian people (which drew come criticism from strongly pro-Israeli factions). He called on Americans to change their stereotypes of Arabs – a post 9-11 reaction he noted – and for the Islamic world to stop looking at the U.S. as a conquering nation. He asked Muslims to show their faith by strong beliefs and positive actions, not by destroying or denigrating the beliefs of others and destroying historical truths like the Holocaust.

It was a good speech that requires follow-up action evidencing intent, new consistent peace-directed forays in the region and some clear steps in the Israeli-Palestinian debacle. The words were the easy part. For Americans espousing “he’s closet Muslim coming out of the closet,” Obama’s entire presentation was clear evidence that he wasn’t who he said he was… that they were right all along. But when Republican and Democrat alike embraced his effort, some with doubt and a desire to placate our perennial ally Israel, it was a very good step forward.

After spending some time mending fences with Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, President Obama took some time on June 5^th to emphasize America’s bond with Israel by visiting the site of the infamous Buchenwald concentration camp. Among his words: “To this day, there are those who insist that the Holocaust never happened — a denial of fact and truth that is baseless and ignorant and hateful... This place is the ultimate rebuke to such thoughts, a reminder of our duty to confront those who would tell lies about our history.” But Obama’s earlier words have created some significant distance between his conciliatory and Israel’s hard line positions. Some even wonder if the President’s Egyptian speech will really make a difference. Was it worth the negative reaction from Israel’s staunch supporters?

From my own years in the Middle East, as an American teenager – the step-son of a U.S. diplomat – in Beirut, I know that the most import part of this presentation was evidence of respect. Since the underlying issue for many in the region is hundreds of years of humiliation by Western powers, using a little Arabic, talking about regional history, admitting mistakes and empathizing with local concerns were essential starting-points in what will still be a long, drawn-out process with many bumps in the road. Israel is anything but on board with much of this agenda. Progress is most certainly is not an Islam dunk.

I’m Peter Dekom, and I approve this message.