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VOL. V NO. 11, May 08-May 21, 2009

Obama to Address Arab World from Cairo

President Obama has chosen Egypt as the location of his address to the Muslim World on June 4 of this year, seeking to repair the ties that were severed between President Bush and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, reported Reuters.

The prospect of this upcoming speech has elicited much speculation about how the Muslim world will perceive it. The Washington Post claimed that it will be compared to a similar speech Condoleezza Rice made in Cairo, urging Mubarak to end attacks on pro-democracy demonstrators; this push for democracy led Mubarak to boycott visiting the White House during Bush’s entire second term.

According to Reuters, this speech will not have the same focus on building democracy but will strive to be more conciliatory in nature. Chris Phillips of The Guardian feels as though the selection of Cairo, under a corrupt and authoritarian regime, would undermine Obama’s message of reconciliation and change, though White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs assured that “the scope of the speech is bigger than where the speech was going to be given or who's the leadership of the country."

Amnesty International has raised concerns about systematic torture in Egypt, along with the death of prisoners and unfair trials that have marred the human rights record of the Arab country. The organization stresses that Obama should use this opportunity to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and human rights issues, notes Reuters.

Many analysts have wondered why Cairo was selected over other Muslim capitals. According to Global Voices, the Egyptian blogosphere is divided. Zeinobia, of the Egyptian Chronicles, wrote that, “Cairo is the true choice as the heart of the Arab world indeed with its weight and history in the region, it would be the perfect place to address the Arab Muslim world despite the fact that its regime is considered Pro-American.” Marc Lynch, of Foreign Policy, claims that it was simply chosen through the process of elimination.

Whatever the reasoning behind the choice, the Egyptian press has been highly supportive of the upcoming speech. Osama Saraya, editor in chief of Ahram Daily, wrote, “The selection of Cairo stresses the fact that…Egypt is the heart of both the Arab and Muslim worlds and is the voice of reason and wisdom that helped the region overcome crises,” reports the LA Times.

In the same piece, Mohamed Ali Ibrahim of the government-owned Al-Gomhoreyya newspaper suggested that “Obama’s anticipated address proves that Washington wants to open a new page with Arabs and Muslims and starts with the biggest country that holds the keys of the Palestinian question and has bridges with all factions as well as Israel.”

According to Saraya in the Jerusalem Post, “The American president wants to mend what the previous American administration had spoiled when it insulted more than 1 billion Muslims by repeatedly attacking Muslims and stigmatizing Muslims with terrorism."

Some are not as optimistic. Mohammed Habib, deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s most powerful opposition group, claims that Obama’s trip will be “useless unless it was proceeded by real change in the policies of the US administration toward the Arab and Islamic world,” and added that, “the US administration is attempting to recruit all the Arab states...to implement its permanent agenda that favors the Zionist entity," according to the Associated Press.

Obama is facing pressure to outline the current administration's policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during this speech. Muslim Brotherhood blogger Abdulmonem Mahmood argued, “If Obama really wanted to prove that he is a man of change, then he has to be just on all issues, including his country's blind support for Israel at the expense of the Palestinian cause,” reports Global Voices.

In contrast, Shannon Bell of Right Pundits claimed, “Obama’s outreach speech to Muslims in Egypt will be another memorable slap in the face to the Jewish people” and that this speech would “pull back one hand from the Jewish people while extending the other to Muslims all over the world.”

Whatever the outcome, Obama’s speech is intended to bridge the rift between the US and the Muslim world and establish the administration’s policy towards the Middle East.

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