Layalina Productions, Inc. | The Layalina Review: "Arab Press Skeptical of Obama's Speech"

The Layalina Review

VOL. V NO. 13, June 05-June 18, 2009

Arab Press Skeptical of Obama’s Speech

Arab media have been largely divided regarding President Obama’s speech in Cairo, Egypt.

While some believe President Obama’s speech demarks America’s new role in setting a peaceful agenda with the Muslim world, others remain cautious of his “well-crafted” words, which they believe conceal the fact that little has actually changed.

Tariq Alhomayed for Asharq-Alawsat lauds Obama for openly addressing the Arab world and discussing important issues that are often ignored by Arab and Muslim leaders. He comments, “Obama’s speech addressed the citizen who desires an education, and wishes [only] to live with dignity,” and “who abhors extremism, backwardness and attrition.”

He adds that, “the Arab and Islamic publics should have heard what they heard from Obama in all its clarity and openness a long time ago, with regards to the peace [process], the fight against extremism, the right to education and dignity, women's rights, the issue of minorities, democracy, and other issues.”

Nonetheless, others are disappointed and label Obama’s speech as merely an old disguise in a new form. As Fahmy Howeidy, an Egyptian political analyst, argues in the Egyptian weekly publication, Al-Ahram, "Obama’s impressive rhetoric did not tell us anything about US policies towards pressing issues, particularly the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, other than what we already know."

To most news outlets in the Arab world, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains pivotal to the region’s stability and future relations with the US.

Howeidy believes the speech lacks crucial details and references. He claims that Obama's "mere mention" of the Palestinians' right to the establishment of a Palestinian state "did not include details on where this land will be, or what its borders will be."

Abdus Sattar Ghazali, executive editor of the online magazine American MuslimPerspective, explains to Al-Ahram that the two-state solution offered by Obama has already been rejected by Israel ,while he has "indirectly urged the Arab states to recognize Israel's 'legitimacy' and did not offer any criticism of Israel, except by saying that he was opposed to new Jewish settlements. But he did not oppose the existing settlements."

Similarly, Attajdid, an online Moroccan journal, argues that Obama did not address the issue of Jerusalem, the return of refugees or the lifting of the embargo. The online journal also criticized the part of Obama's speech when he announced that America's support for Israel will be undeterred.

Alhomayed denounces the critics of Obama and criticizes them for ignoring the president’s commitment to the right to existence for a Palestinian state. Ahmad Rehab, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), stresses the importance of acknowledging Palestine by name rather than talking about the Palestinian territories.

Rehab said that in his use of the word Palestine, "Obama signaled that he is quite serious about a two- state solution in the future."

According to Fadel Soliman, director of the Cairo-based Bridges Foundation, a body that specializes in introducing Islam to non-Muslims, change is occurring. Soliman argues that, "for the first time, an American president has admitted the historical mistakes of his country, and says clearly that no country in the world has the right to decide who should possess nuclear weapons and who should not; and speaks about his country as a country living among -- and not above -- other countries."

Dahlia Mujahid told Asharq Al-Awsat, that "President Obama linked America with Europe and the West in general, [but] the US has never killed Muslims in religious wars, rather it has defended them on numerous occasions. Therefore, I believe that the President's speech neglected this powerful idea, and did not touch upon it at all, and it was possible that this would have had a greater resonance in the Islamic world, sending the message that the President wants."

“This is the first president we see in the United States that is talking about the Palestinian issue, resolving the Palestinian issue in the first six months of his presidency. Usually, it's in the last two months of the presidency." Saad Hariri, leader of Lebanon's parliamentary majority, told The Associated Press.

Alhomayed invites Arabs and Muslims to take advantage of Obama’s “good gesture.” Alhomayed believes, “Obama's speech has arrived, and was welcomed, and now we must ensure that we do not miss any more opportunities, we must take action in a practical and effective manner.”

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