Obama "Has To Walk The Talk"

World's Muslims Optimistic Ahead Of President's Address In Cairo, But They're Looking For More Than Words

(AP)  Respect for Islam, a prescription for Palestinian statehood and assurances of a speedy U.S. pullout from Iraq - that's what Muslims from Morocco to Malaysia say they want to hear from President Obama this week when he addresses them from this Arab capital.

His speech Thursday from Cairo University will try to soften the fury toward the United States among so many of the world's 1.5 billion Muslims, ignited by the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the hands-off attitude toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict of his predecessor George W. Bush.

Mr. Obama's offer of a new beginning is seen as an attempt to stem the growing influence of extremists - particularly Iran, with its regional and nuclear ambitions - and to bolster moderate Muslim allies.

It comes just days ahead of crucial elections in Lebanon and Iran - where the appeal of militancy will be put to the test - and amid worsening violence in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The American leader's soaring oratory and Muslim roots have kindled hope among Muslims. But they will judge him by his actions, not his words, said 20-year-old Mohammed Wasel, sipping sugar cane juice with friends after mosque prayers in Cairo's Abbasiya neighborhood.

"There will be a lot of talk, but I seriously want to see something real coming out of this speech, something tangible," Wasel said, expressing a view shared by an Eritrean social worker in Rome, a retired teacher in Baghdad and a Palestinian mayor in the West Bank.

Mr. Obama "has to walk the talk," said social activist Marina Mahathir, daughter of Malaysia's former prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad.

But with rising hopes come the risk of disappointment. Mr. Obama isn't expected to present a detailed vision of a Mideast peace deal - potentially the most effective antidote to anti-Western sentiment - until later.

And there is doubt the U.S. president can change entrenched foreign policy, particularly what is perceived in the Muslim world as Washington's pro-Israeli bias. What Muslims see as America's repeated failure to hold Israel to its international obligations is a sore point. A construction freeze in Israeli West Bank settlements - Mr. Obama wants it, Israel rejects it - is shaping up as a major test.

"It's true that Obama's election created a new wave of hope," said Jordan-based political analyst Mouin Rabbani. "But if he pulls the same tricks as his predecessor - making some nice statements and doing the opposite in practice - people will be disabused of their illusions quite quickly."

Mr. Obama will also go to Saudi Arabia and meet King Abdullah on his Mideast trip. But he is not visiting Israel, though just a short flight away.

The president's initial actions have earned him good will. He's reached out to Muslims in an interview with an Arab satellite TV station, in a video message to Iranians on the Persian new year and in a speech to the Turkish parliament. He ordered Guantanamo prison closed within a year and said the U.S. would not engage in torture, reversing two Bush policies seen here as having targeted Muslims.

After the Bush years, one of the darkest periods in U.S.-Muslim relations, there is now a chance for reconciliation, said Shibley Telhami, a Mideast scholar at the University of Maryland who conducts annual public opinion surveys around the Middle East.

"The most striking is the openness toward President Obama and the expressed hopefulness about American foreign policy, something profoundly new, given the last eight years," he said.

In the latest survey, 73 percent of 4,087 respondents felt positive or neutral toward Mr. Obama. The poll had margins of error ranging from 3.6 to 4.5 percentage points, in the six Arab countries where it was conducted in April and May.

The positive results for Mr. Obama seem remarkable for a region where four in five people still hold unfavorable views of the U.S., and Venezuela's stridently anti-American President Hugo Chavez was named most admired foreign leader.

If Mr. Obama wants to rally Muslim support to rein in Iran, analysts say, he will have to prove his good intentions elsewhere. In particular, he needs to move to end Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, lands the Palestinians want for a state.

"If he wants to win the hearts of Muslims, then there must be peace for all of the Middle East," said M. Salim Abdullah, 78, a Muslim of Bosnian descent who heads an Islamic research library in Soest, Germany.

A pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq according to schedule would also go a long way toward restoring Muslim confidence. But despite Mr. Obama's timetable - he plans to withdraw most U.S. troops by September 2010 and pull all out by the end of 2011 - many are upset by the ongoing violence and fear Iraq could one day disintegrate.

Mr. Obama's choice of Cairo as the venue for his speech highlights problems that have long fed militancy in the Arab world. Authoritarian rule, poverty and a lack of opportunity deprive many of the young of a say in their future.

Youth unemployment in the Middle East and North Africa is the highest in the world, with one in four young Egyptians sitting idle, the U.N. says. Nearly 20 percent of Egypt's 79 million people live on less than $2 a day. Islamic militants from Egypt, including al Qaida's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, have exported their violent ideology. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, like other U.S. allies in the region, tolerates little opposition.

Mr. Obama will have to strike a balance between raising human rights violations in Egypt and elsewhere in the region, while not sounding like he is trying to impose U.S. values. The Bush administration's pro-democracy campaign in the Middle East was widely seen as hypocritical, particularly after the U.S. refused to deal with the Islamic militant Hamas despite its 2006 election victory in the Palestinian territories.

"When someone talks to me with dignity and respect, then I will feel I could follow him," said 19-year-old Mustafa Ragab. He spoke after Friday prayers at a Cairo mosque, where the preacher promoted the idea of dialogue ahead of Mr. Obama's visit. "I think Obama will be able to make the Arabs feel that way."

Beyond shared concerns, different parts of the Muslim world have particular issues.

While the U.S. draws down forces in Iraq, it is building them up in another Muslim country, Afghanistan, as part of its intensifying war on the Taliban. But the Afghan government says mounting civilian deaths are undermining support for the campaign.

Kabul shopkeeper Abdul Wasi, 34, said sending more U.S. troops is futile. "The experience of our three decades of war shows that in the end, it will not work," said Wasi, 34. "Since Obama came in, nothing has changed for us."

Iranians say they want Mr. Obama to ease economic sanctions, in place since 1995, and push for a resumption of ties.

"The sanctions the U.S has imposed so far have only damaged ordinary people in Iran," said Tehran mechanic Abbas Taghizadeh.

Millions of Muslims in Europe struggle to win acceptance and shed the stigma of extremism, without sacrificing their customs. They have fought for the right to build mosques and have girls wear headscarves in schools, a sign of religious observance. Mr. Obama may not have much to offer in their struggles.

Still Mr. Obama gets some credit up front for just being himself. Many were inspired by his victory, emotionally connecting to his African and Muslim roots and his childhood in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation.

"It's so exciting to have a black man run the entire world," said Awni Shatarat, 45, a clothing store owner in the Palestinian refugee camp of Baqaa in Jordan.

[factsearcher]

Oh common you all!
You know very well we need to change our (US) diplomatic relationships with the muslim world after Bush destroyed the US image not only in the middle east f=but worldwide!
Also very important...
As much as we all do support and should continue supporting Israel...
We should ALSO open our narrow minds and understand the muslim world.
NOt all of them are terrorists, not all want death to US...many actually do want a better diplomatic relationship with US.
WIth that said, Obama be VERY careful.
They WILL try to make you compromise the creation of Palestine in exchange for a lot more than we are willing to compromise.
The creation of Palestine does NOT guarantee peace in the middle east at all.
PEACE can only be achieved if palestinians/hamas and their counterparts gurantee putting down their weapons, modifying their books in classrooms showing Israel does exist in their maps and re-educating the population not to hate their neighbors because of their religious faith.
Giving land and creating a new state does not gurantee the safety and security of US, Israel or the rest of the world for that matter.

[Dgunner]

JUST BE CAREFUL AND DON'T WALK YOUR BULLSH===T IN LIVE TRAFFIC. THEY HAVE 79 MILLION LIVING ON 2 DOLLARS A DAY AND CONDOMS ARE FREE. FKEM LET EM STARVE.

[TPS2]

Anyone notice that the lemmings who blindly follow President Obama are the new Republicans. Hateful and dividers. They will lash out at anyone that remotely questions his actions. No matter if you were outspoken against the previous administration, any concerns about this one and you are immediately labeled a Bush cronie or a racist.
Posted by patocc123

Well said. it is hard to understand anyone who blindly follows another person without question. I believe we should question what are elected officials do, regardless of party affiliation.

[USSAmerikan]

What did we expect? We hired an inexperienced lawyer, albeit a bright one who was trained to be convincing, without exposing his true intentions. Nonetheless, we need to be thankful he is perhaps starting to learn the ropes and realizing that many of his wonderful campaign ideals and promises (I think in his ignorance/arrogance he believed many were feasible) need to be tempered with real world know-how, which I am sure many in his cabinet are providing him... I don't like Obama,yet, but I do like some of the things I am seeing...

[ToolMangler1]

You mean like how the liberals all called President Bush a "liar" and a "murderer" even though he kept us safe from terrorism for 7.5 years after 9/11 ??

Posted by bobmarisol at 9:29 AM : Jun 1, 2009




He kept us safe by creating war over there. This allowed the killing of insurgents and civilians alike. When the war is stopped and our soldiers come home, then those that don't like us will have lots of time for their 'idle hands' to be busy making weapons to be used later, (Probably over here). Stop the fighting Obama and give them a chance to breathe... We deserve it.....

[YrSoWrong]

After 8 years of a President who walked the talk, thank goodness we now have a President who talks the walk.

[bobmarisol]

You giving up on him after less then 5 months of him being in office?
He can't do the job alone. Time for everybody to get up and stand behind the president. People may not like the man but they D*** sure should respect the highest office of this great country.

-----------------------------------

You mean like how the liberals all called President Bush a "liar" and a "murderer" even though he kept us safe from terrorism for 7.5 years after 9/11 ??

I agree with your philosophy that we should all respect the office of the POTUS. But unfortunately the liberals only expect such respect when they are in the office. If there is a conservative in office, you better believe that the POTUS will get no respect.

[batchitcrazy]

so far obama has not done one single thing to help the poor except made them poorer but he has made the rich even richer. had high hopes for obama but looks like hes became a bushie
Posted by at 8:48 AM : Jun 1, 2009
----------------------
You giving up on him after less then 5 months of him being in office?
He can't do the job alone. Time for everybody to get up and stand behind the president. People may not like the man but they D*** sure should respect the highest office of this great country.

One question for you on the side:
How did you get to log-in and comment w/o showing an alias? Cool trick. Got connections with CBS?

[patocc123]

patocc123 ,

I disagree.
Things have Changed and they will change even more.
With an open mind one can spot opportunity,
closed minds and innability to accpet the change will render you as Exhibit A on the floor of a museum.
Posted by Retarded_Conservative
------------------------------------
So when I ask for proof from your statement I get nothing. Gotcha.


I like the new PM of England over the old one. That doesn't mean I am willing to fly to England now. I was at the Indianapolis 500 last weekend and met several people from different countries and asked them about the perception of the US. Most where happy about the change in the administration and when I asked them about how it changed the perception of the US. They said what the article relates too. The change in leadership is good since the US policy has not changed then that aspect has not changed.

Its smoke and mirrors. We are still holding prisoners without trial. We are still in 2 wars. We are still having conflicts with nations who we was having conflicts before the elections.

Hope and actions are 2 different things so if you want to consider Exhibit -A then you can be your own Exhibit - A of someone who doesn't judge politicians by thier actions but by thier charisma.

[batchitcrazy]

I'm still waiting for the moderate Muslims to walk their talk. It makes me mad that our President is told to walk the talk when Muslims do absolutely NOTHING to contain THEIR extremists. Obama can only go so far, Muslims must do the majority of the "walk" and I'm not seeing that. Posted by promaclaura at 5:46 AM : Jun 1, 2009

Also, puke, puke, puke on this article. All these quotes from people on what President Obama must do. How arrogant, when we get "whispers" on what their leaders should do! This is all bologna, nothing will come to peace if the Mideast doesn't start pulling their own load. Posted by promaclaura at 6:03 AM : Jun 1, 2009

--------------------------------------------------
Sounds good to me.....

[bobmarisol]

Here goes "take 2" of Obama's worldwide "I hate America" apology tour

[rushlimpdrug]

Mr. Obama "has to walk the talk," said social activist Marina Mahathir, daughter of Malaysia's former prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad.


Obama is the President of the United States.
He doesn't HAVE to do what Marina says he has to do, period.

[bobmarisol]

Bend over Muslim world...you're about to have your A S S kissed by the leader of the used-to-be-free world.

[ray999999]

so far obama has not done one single thing to help the poor except made them poorer but he has made the rich even richer. had high hopes for obama but looks like hes became a bushie

[cydygitt1]

Why don't those who desire peace in the Middle East do something useful with their time instead, like work to protect the dwindling unicorn population in the Amazon?

Posted by taxchurches
-----------------------------

Actually the population of the unicorn has increased during the past decade, so it would be much more useful for these morons to work on the steadily decreasing numbers of republican'ts, due to no clear message that the vast majority of Americans want to hear.

The GOP needs to work on new ideas and solutions for America, since more of the same has been fully discredited and debunked by the patriotic Americans, and given us a very marginalized regional party of southern evangelicals still waving the stars and bars, while whining constantly.

[bluegrass101-2009]

Nobody and I mean NOBODY , really gives a Rat A@@ what the Repukelicans think--- They are Irrelevant!! Bring it on Repig Trolls!!

[bluegrass101-2009]

ATTENTION=ATTENTION ALL REPIGLICAN'S " More Bad News", Dow is up over 200 points, Obama's Poll approval keeps rising ,-- 90% of all top Economists predict the recession over at the end of the year, A great new SCOTUS , plus a new Senator coming soon ,Al Franken. What Will You do? WHAT WILL YOU DO??? After all of the Prayers for Obama to Fail, it is quite evident that even God despises Repig's!!!

[cydygitt1]

i mean seriously come on.
its a new era, Get with the times.
but on second thought stay grumpy and bitter over it.
raise your blood pressure and earn a Darwin Award.
Posted by Retarded_Conservative
-------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, the grumpy old white men of the republican't party of NO, cannot change and stop their constant whining like sore losermen, and will continue their highly-partisan attacks on everything President Obama says and does!

They continue to live in the 20th century and praise the ghost of ronnie reagan, and the rest of the Iran/Contra criminals illegally running the country into the ground.

[patocc123]

Look at the Results,
People in foreign countries arfe opening up to the USA because we now have a
leader who is Respected.
Posted by Retarded_Conservative
------------------------------------
? which countries are our friends now since the election. What New Embassies do we have scheduled to open. Plus what is your source for this.

When it comes down to it . . Nothing has changed. Our F. Policy has not changed. We are still in Iraq . . Civilians are still being killed in Pakistan. Only thing that I see that is different is the people who attacked General Petreus during the elections cycle are all of sudden supporting him. Why? cause he has a new boss.

[bluegrass101-2009]

Pres. Obama's Poll Approval at 65%----- Europe 79%, ------- Repiglicans at 20%,--- Europe 10%. The Repiglican Party is stamped - 'Irrelevant."