President Obama's long-awaited speech (full text of which is here) to "the Muslim world" (in quotes because the term itself may further the false premise of a monolithic reality) contained any number of things which troubled me. They trouble me as an American, as a supporter of peace in the Middle East, as a supporter of Israel, and even as a Jew.
The President's remarks were filled with partial truths which often idealized the history of Islam and consistently avoided many of the real challenges which the world faces today. Speaking of Cairo's Al-Azhar University, Mr. Obama correctly identified the institution as one with a thousand-year track record of commitment to learning, but avoided the fact that its religious policies make Bob Jones University seem liberal. He quoted the Quran's dictum that we "be conscious of God and always speak the truth" and received applause for doing so, but failed to acknowledge how that very teaching is often used by the extremists he reviled.
President Obama spoke of Islam's historic commitment to religious tolerance and racial equality, but did not address the fact that they were practiced only when Muslims were in power and that while racial equality existed, religious equality did not. He insisted that Islam was not part of the problem in combating religious extremism, but an important part of promoting peace. Clearly, it is both.
And none of this even addresses the President's unfortunate comparison of contemporary Israelis and Palestinians with black slaves in America and their white owners, or his unwillingness to mention that the biggest issue related to violence by Muslims is their murder of other Muslims, which far exceeds the amount of either Jewish or Christian blood which they shed. Why must all people care about that? Because they are people and they are dying. That is the first and most important reason. And secondly, because when people are murdering their own brothers and sisters, it's hard to imagine them making peace with their cousins.
Yet with all of that concern, I remind myself that this speech was not for me, not designed to please my ears or address my concerns.
It was addressed to the Muslim world and it was brilliant. Call it great statesmanship, or call it a wonderful expression of the biblical concept (Genesis 21) of "reaching someone where they are", but President Obama's speech in Cairo was spot on.
He put the possibility of making things better ahead of self-satisfied rhetoric. It is precisely what needed to be done and he did it in a way that stretched his audience and evoked their support at a critical moment in both global and human affairs.
President Obama engaged his audience where they are, taking seriously the religious/historic/political/cultural narrative which animates their lives instead of the one which animates that of many others, including me. He used a version of the story of Islam and its current encounter with the non-Muslim world that was recognizable and understandable to Muslims. And he used that telling of the story in way that challenged those who tell it, to live more fully in its light.
Rather than force a dichotomous choice, the President pointed to the possibility of a common destiny. And because of that, he found himself before an audience in Cairo that applauded the need to recognize Israel, address the challenge of Iran, practice greater degrees of religious and political freedom, and empower all people, include women, to attain greater educational and financial achievement. If that isn't historic, what is?
Ultimately, the President's remarks put being productive ahead of what some of us call being right, and that is the path to peace and reconciliation every time.
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Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
Well balanced, articulate and fair. Way to go president Obama.
By being so fair respectful he shifted the pressure to the bad guys - Hizbulla, Taliban, Hamas, Iran,Settlers.
I found the speech brilliant through and through. I thought he addressed the issue of Muslim internecine violence very well, it was not ignored. I do agree that he whitewashed Islamic history, but I don't think it would have been productive to harp over its history. Rather, his oblique criticism was built up in his plea for women's rights, democracy and human rights. I was also pleased to see him promoting our American brand of positive secularism, we are a superior nation because we endorse or establish no particular state religion (Treaty of Tripoli).
Obama reminded them and us that they are not the only ones doing the killing, we went to Iraq without a legitimate reason (650,000+ have died as a result). He parsed our troubled history with Iran as well by noting that we have also been less than perfect. I found his mention of the Reconquista particularly interesting and apt also, an unfortunate historical issue that all three of the Abrahamic religions could learn from and is particularly informative about who tolerated whom.
His insistence that we make progress in spite of the sins of our past on both sides was indeed a key part of his message. It simply doesn't matter who was or is right. I think the thing that frightens many people committed to the status quo is that the speech implies that progress will be imposed regardless.
Also maybe it was just me, but I found his talk about the settlements confusing and open to interpretation.
I could not agree more with Brad. The speech was flawed in many ways on the micro level but on a macro level--let's face it, the only level which 99% of the world pays attention too--it was as brilliant a piece of statesmanship as the world has seen since WWII or longer.
For perhaps the first time, millions of desperately poor Muslims around the world have been presented with a real alternative view that exposes the declarations from Al Qaeda and Iranian leaders as the crude, hopeless blatherings of bankrupt ideologies that they are. Instead of making every speech about scoring points with some mythical political "base" back home as Bush and Clinton were prone to do, Obama aims high, takes chances, and is willing to put himself in the shoes of his audience and address issues that are meaningful to them in a respectful, productive manner. If he does nothing else in his presidency, at least he's brought the global dialogue out of the blunt and increasingly ineffective "America is great...be just like us" rut we've been in since the 1940's. Amen President Obama.
He made a brilliant speech? And God willing it will see the light of day across the world? The billion muslims should now believe a little of his words if they are allowed to hear the speech? Maybe we can bridge the gap? But the one thing as an American I will not do is give anyone the power over us to make us bow to that SAUDI KING! THAT WAS RUDE AND UNBELIEVABLE? That alone makes me a skeptic on a hidden agenda? However I wish for the best for all that we will get thru this together as one in America and hope it takes shape across the globe as well! We still cannot be mesmerized by his glib talking the Big O for he is a politician and they are not to be trusted. That is why we the people must be there and be counted on to watch and govern over ourselves to make sure all these political agendas are in our best interest! That is why it is so important to vote and to write your congressman,senator or house rep, alderman, councilman committeeman, mayors, aides? etc., Take this message seriously we have to help ourselves! Charity begins at home and if you notice we are starving in America now and we cannot afford to give to the others just because we want to play BIG BROTHER! STOP THE WARS, BRING OUR SOLDIERS HOME AND LET THEIR GOD THAT THEY BELIEVE IN SORT IT OUT AMONGST THEM! STOP GIVING THEM THE MONEY TO CONTINUE THIS WAR! WE NEED TO PREVENT A WAR HERE IN OUR OWN AMERICA? AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE? RICH AGAINST POOR IS SO OBVIOUS? WE NEED TO HAVE MORE INSIGHT TO THE FEEL OF THE PUBLIC? WE ARE LOSING OUR HOMES, HEALTH CARE, OUR MONEY IS GONE! WE NEED TO SURVIVE OR BECOME A TYRANY WITH SOCIALISM? THE BARBARIANS ARE ON THE INSIDE, AND WE NEED TO LOOK AT THIS WITH REAL OPEN EYES AND AN OPEN HEART AS WELL! AMEN TO THAT!
DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THE MOVIE RED DAWN? SWITCH THAT AROUND A LITTLE IN YOUR MIND? THE CUBAN THING? WHICH IS GOING ON NOW? THE MEXICAN INVASION? WHICH IS GOING ON NOW? THE RUSSIANS EH? AND DON'T FORGET THE TURKS IN EVERY WAR THEY HAVE BEEN OUR ENEMY? NOW WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT? MEXICO IS HAVING A WAR NOW WITHIN AND IT IS SUPPLIED BY THE RUSSIAN MOB AND THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT FOR YEARS! PUTIN THE RUSSIAN LEADER IS OUR ENEMY! NOW THINK AGAIN WITH THE CUBAN NEGOTIATIONS GOING ON? AND NOW REMEMBER THE BIG O, WHO BOWED TO THE SAUDI KING?
NEED I SAY MORE? I THINK WE SHOULD WORRY ABOUT AMERICA AND NO ONE ELSE RIGHT NOW? I THINK WE ARE BEING TALKED TO DEATH, LITERALLY? WE HAVE NO FOOD AT THE TABLES OF THE STARVING IN OUR OWN COUNTRY BUT WE HANG ON EVERY HOLLYWOOD WORD SPOKEN FROM A POLITICIAN? DON'T TRUST HIM? PERSONALLY I THINK HE SHOULD PUT ON HIS BLUE TURBIN AND GET IT OVER WITH! WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT HE IS? WE JUST DON'T KNOW IF HE IS GOING TO BE A TYRANT OR A REAL GOOD PRESIDENT FOR THE FREEDOM OF AMERICA? IT IS ALL WELL AND FINE TO SAY WHAT IS POLITICALLY CORRECT FOR YOUR VOTING PUBLIC AND THE PEOPLE YOU WANT TO WIN OVER? BUT HAVE YOU WATCHED HOW HE SKIRTS SUBJECTS AND SIDE STEPS WHEN HE IS CHANGING SIDES RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE? HE IS ONE PERSON THAT NEEDS TO BE KEPT TO HIS WORDS ALL OF THEM! SO FAR HE HAS NOT DONE A THING BUT TALK! AND MOST OF WHICH IS WRITTEN FOR US TO BELIEVE? I PERSONALLY DO NOT BELIEVE IN HIM? HE IS NOT GOD? BUT I HEAR PEOPLE TALK LIKE HE IS A SAVIOUR? THAT IS LUDICRUS, AND RIDICULOUS! HE IS JUST A MAN ANOTHER POLITICIAN IN POWER TO FILL HIS POCKETS WITH ALL HE CAN GET FOR HIMSELF! A VERY GOOD SALESMAN JUST LIKE WHEN HE WAS IN ACORN EH? LOTS OF PRACTICE WITH THE POOR? HITLER WAS THE SAME? HE STARTED AS AN ORGANIZER AND GOT ALL THE DEPRIVED AND POOR IGNORANT PEOPLE TO FOLLOW HIM TOO? AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED! AND IF YOU THINK HE LIKES JEWS OR SYMPATHIZES WITH ISRAEL? YOU ARE BADLY MISTAKEN! HE IS A MUSLIM!
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