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VOL. V NO. 5, February 13-February 26, 2009

Moving Ahead with Muslim World Relations

As a first step towards proving to an international audience that the United States is not the enemy of the Muslim world, President Barack Obama was interviewed by the Arabic television channel Al-Arabiya. According to Abdus Satar Ghazali ofCounter Currents,Obama stated in the interview that his "job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not [the] enemy," emphasizing that the United States has "sometimes [made] mistakes" and has "not been perfect." He referred to his inaugural speech, saying, "If countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us," reports The Times of India.

Obama also recognizes the fact that he will be judged not by his words, but by his and his administration's actions, writes Eboo Patel for The Washington Post. According to Counter Currents, during his interview Obama said that, in terms of the conflict in the Middle East, "the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people. Instead, it's time to return to the negotiating table."

Obama promised a broader outreach to the Muslim world, including making a speech from a Muslim nation's capital. His interview with Al-Arabiya was a move in this direction, which coincides with a visit by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Jakarta, Indonesia. On this visit, Clinton affirmed that the Obama administration is not "singling out…any country or any region or any group of people," according to The Washington Times. Instead, Clinton defined the goal of the administration as an attempt to reengage and deepen cooperation with the entire world.

The outreach to the Muslim world even brought members of Congress to the Gaza Strip. Recently, Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Representative Brian Baird (D-WA) and Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) visited Gaza. According to The Washington Post, this was the first time in three years that an American government official visited Gaza; it has been nine years since an American legislator visited the area.

According to the Gulf Times, foreign citizens such as Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry HE Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah look at the Obama administration with hope and optimism. At the sixth US-Islamic World Conference in Doha, al-Attiyah stated, "Now that a new administration is in the White House headed by Barack Obama, our hopes are now focusing on him and judging by his recent statements, it is a good omen."

The organizers of the conference referred to Obama as a "ray of hope" for the Islamic world. This theme of optimism is echoed on Democracy Arsenal where, according to Ilan Goldenberg, Muslims at the conference frequently used the term "mutual respect" in reference to the United States, utilizing the term that Obama used during his interview with Al-Arabiya.

However, not all people abroad have faith that Obama will put forth an innovative policy in regards to the Muslim world. Mustafa Alani, a Middle East analyst, stated that citizens in the Muslim world "have to lower [their] expectations that [Obama] has a magic wand to solve all [their] problems."

In an equally pessimistic statement, Haytham Rafati told the Associated Press that he cannot "believe that any US president can be different when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict." In addition, the former president of Pakistan, Parwez Musharraf, told CNN that "policies don't change with personalities; policies have national interest, and policies depend on an environment. So the environment and national interest of the United States being the same, I [think] policies will remain constant," reports Counter Currents.

Goldenberg of Democracy Arsenal writes that the Obama administration may run into problems when it attempts to balance high expectations with the reality of these difficult global situations. If the administration fails at this, "this unique moment of optimism and potential cooperation will be lost." Back to articles.