President Obama in Cairo – “A New Beginning” … or the Same Story?

By Sarah Price and Nizar Latif
July 2009, The Independent Monitor

The run-up to President Barack Obama’s first Middle East address, entitled “A New Beginning,” was wrought with curiosity and speculation. His views on the Middle East during his campaign and early presidency had been difficult to pin down, and reactions to his statements were, thus far, polarizing. He had made outreach to the Muslim world a top priority, releasing aid to Gaza and appearing on Arabic television within days of taking office; but he had also stayed quiet about his Muslim roots and his level of support of Muslims during his presidential campaign, even failing to speak out against negative comments referring to him as an Arab – and by extension, a negative view of Arabs in general – on Arizona Senator John McCain’s campaign trail. His comments to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in June 2008 were also unsettling to the Arab and Muslim world, as they seemed to exhibit a bias toward Israel – even claiming Jerusalem the capital of Israel – and therefore potentially another four-to-eight years of difficulties and disappointments for them.

His address in Cairo focused largely on cases of Muslim extremism; Israeli and Palestinian peace talks; and Pres. Obama’s efforts to remake the image of Islam in the West. But one subject that was largely absent from the speech was that of the current state of, and military pull-out from Iraq.

He made a point of stating that Iraq was a war of choice – a choice made by the previous administration – and that his philosophy was to “leave Iraq to the Iraqis,” claiming that he would stick to the current plan of removing troops from Iraqi cities by July 2009, combat brigades by August 2010, and all remaining troops by December 2011.

In Iraq, a referendum to be held in July 2009 would decide whether U.S. troops should leave sooner than the previously agreed-upon dates. The referendum was expected to pass, with many in Iraq eager to see U.S. troops leave, as they believe that will bring some normalcy to their lives. Still, there is fear that U.S. troops leaving too soon would only open the door to further takeover by militia groups, an increasing Iranian influence, and the collapse of an already weak government and under-trained security forces.

And there was mixed reaction from Iraqis about his motives and true intentions, as well as the tone of his address to the Muslim world.

"Obama said that the war on Iraq was [the U.S.’s] will, and this fact is undisputed, as they came to occupy Iraq for oil and energy, not to liberate the Iraqi people,” said Sheik Saleh Mohammed, a Sahwah (Awakening) Council leader in Saab Al Bour, in northern Baghdad. “I don’t think they will develop Iraq. These are just empty promises. I think that he will withdraw troops in 2012 because he promised the American people and he will fulfill his promise. But he will not withdraw all the troops. He wants to ensure control over oil and energy from Iraq. He said he will make Iraq a real partner and friend, but I ask, why do they have to stay in Iraq? Why do you want a strong relationship with us, if not only for our resources?”

Sheikh Mohammed al-Khafaji, a leader in the al-Sadrist movement, agreed that Obama’s words were empty and, at times, misused, pointing out his apparent misunderstanding of Islam.

"I would disagree with Obama that Islam is an integral part of America,” he said. “It would have been better to say that Muslims are an integral part of America. The establishment of Islam is imposed on Muslims; while in America, there is freedom of religious observance. And it sounds like Obama doesn’t know much about Islam, as he interpreted the claims of Islam wrong.”

In his speech, Pres. Obama said, “The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind.” Al- Khafaji feels that he missed the point.

“The verse cited by Obama allows the killing of Obama himself, because his forces in Iraq kill innocent people and steal public money,” he said. “This is the interpretation of that Quran verse.”

He also thought that such a short timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq would cause problems not only for the country, but for the troops as well, stating that he believed there could be violence toward them during the pull-out.

But Dr. Ismail Haddad, a political analyst from Baghdad, was encouraged by Obama’s choice of words.

“He didn’t mention the word terrorism,” he said. “He replaced it with the words extremism and violence, which indicates a change in American policy towards the war on terrorism, focusing on Afghanistan and Pakistan, home to al Qaeda activity, and not focusing only on the military aspects of the fight against extremism and violence. Obama's policy is based on the side of military force to aid the development of areas of activity to undermine the chances of extremism, because extremists use those conditions to recruit new members."

"The world waited a long time for Barack Obama's speech; it was truly unprecedented,” said Dr. Rahman Alkurani, a professor of politics at Sulaymaniyah University in Iraqi Kurdistan. “He wanted to send a message, to launch a new phase of friendly relations between his country and the world – the Arab and Muslim relationship based on mutual trust, respect and common interests – and work to end the conflict between the peoples of the region, and to guide the energies of the development and evolution, rather than being squandered in wars and destruction. He has achieved significant success in winning the hearts and minds of this segment and, in particular, young people.

”We have achieved a victory with President Obama as a senior diplomat, and his country as a superpower, and managed to pull the rug from under the feet of extremists,” he added, “creating a civilization that can accept the ideas of pluralism and a spirit of tolerance and peaceful coexistence between followers of different religions and sects.”

He said he believed Pres. Obama exhibited strength and wisdom, and repeated the words of Thomas Jefferson, that he had cited in his speech: "I hope that our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us that the less we use our power the greater it will be."