Well the competition is over: Barack Obama has chosen which Muslim capital to deliver his long-awaited speech to the Islamic world. So in choosing Cairo, has he made the right choice? According to Meshary Alruwaih of the Kuwait Times, for a Western leader looking to woo Muslims, Egypt is a superb place to start.
For the Kuwait Times, Alruwaih writes in part:
“The competition between major Muslim capitals is over. President Obama has made up his mind and will deliver his speech to the Islamic world in Cairo on June 4. Obama’s decision has sparked controversy over the roles and standings of Muslims states, since many interpret it as an answer to the question, ‘When I want to talk to the Muslim world … who should I talk to?'”
“I might lean toward the Saudi Capital of Riyadh. … delivering his speech in the capital city of the nation where 15 of the 19 men who carried out the New York attacks would have significant symbolic meaning. .. But Egypt has its attractions, too. Sentiments on the streets of Cairo usually spread quickly to other parts of the Islamic world. At this point, it is these sentiments that Obama is after. The time for fully-formed ideas and actions to improve relations between the U.S. and Muslims is still to come. If Saudi Arabia is the geographic and historic heart of Islam, Egypt is its sensitive and emotional center. Now is a time to flirt. And when you want to flirt with the Muslim world … you flirt with Egypt!”
By Meshary Alruwaih
May 14, 2009
Kuwait – The Kuwait Times – Original Article (English)
The competition between major Muslim capitals is over. President Obama has made up his mind and will deliver his speech to the Islamic world in Cairo on June 4. Cairo went up against other Muslim capitals like Riyadh, Jakarta, Istanbul and Ankara. Obama’s decision has sparked controversy over the roles and standings of Muslims states, since many interpret it as an answer to the question, “When I want to talk to the Muslim world … who should I talk to?”
And when an American president answers this question, it is assumed to be an implicit recognition of the leading role of the country chosen. That was exactly what the competition among Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and Indonesia was all about.
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, your most trusted translator and aggregator of foreign news and views about our nation.
Founder and Managing Editor of Worldmeets.US