Obama Egypt Speech: Venue Choice Draws Fire
June 3, 2009 by admin
Filed under News Stories
President Obama’s decision to address the Muslim World in a speech on June 4th in Cairo, Egypt — one of the most authoritarian Muslims countries in the Middle East - begs the question: is Egypt the right place to address such issues or not?
On May 8, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called Egypt “the heart of the Arab world,” and the trip “an opportunity for the President to address and discuss our relationship with the Muslim world.”
In March 2009, Ipsos conducted a poll of 7,000 people across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. According to the polling outfit, Egypt has the least favorable approval rating compared to the other Arab countries in the Middle East. And President Obama received 48 percent of average favorability ratings as a whole, while Egyptians gave him a favorability rating of 35 percent. Read more
What Should President Obama Tell the Muslim World in Cairo?
June 1, 2009 by admin
Filed under Featured, Huffington Post Pieces
President Obama’s decision to give a speech in Egypt on June 4th, one of the most authoritarian regimes and unpopular governments in the Middle East, was surprising, no doubt. Many thought he would choose Indonesia, the biggest moderate Muslim country. But what should the President say, and do, in Cairo to make the best of his trip?
First of all, President Obama has to show that Egypt is the right choice. Many say it’s not. On May 8, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, called Egypt “the heart of the Arab world”. That’s right. But Arabs constitute approximately 10 percent of the Muslims worldwide. Also, as Olivier Roy, the prominent French scholar of Islam told me, “Muslims belong to different nationalities and have different interests. From Indonesia, as the biggest Muslim country, to Lebanon, Afghanistan, Somalia and Muslims in the United States and Europe, they have different interests and concerns.” Plus, all Arabs are not Muslim. Obama should clarify whether he meant to address the issues of the Arab World, which Egypt is rightly the biggest and certainly the most influential country amongst them, or the Muslim world?
