I rather disagree--at least in part

Submitted by Peter Herz (United States), Oct 12, 2009 at 21:08

I also wish President Obama well. May he be blessed with wisdom.

However, I cannot agree that his speech to the Islamic world really changed things. Islamic regimes remain largely corrupt and tyrannical; the treatment of non-Muslim minorities in Islamic countries remains appalling; Obama spoke as a Muslim in his mention of Jesus (the PBUH when a Christian would have prayed for Christ's peace on us); the raising of the Falastin Arab plight to an analogy to that of the Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe; and no calling the Arab world to account for the fact that the US has given passport-holding, property-rights, voting-rights citizens to more victims and descendents of an-Nakhbar than any seven Arabic-speaking states (excluding Jordan, Israel, and the PA) put together. I daresay, since you seem to be from Australia that your country has probably also made real citizens of more Falastin Arabs than most of the Arab world put together, too.

Further, 9/11, the recent persecution of Copts in Egypt, the killings and kidnappings of Christians in Pakistan, and other matters warn us that the Islamic world has a lot of internal demons which it studiously avoids confronting. Indeed, where Christians (ESPECIALLY Evangelicals) wince at the mention of the Crusades, Muslim calls for violent Jihad are growing. Obama failed to raise that challenge in his Cairo speech, but spoke of the "legacy of tolerance" when even in Ummayad Spain and 16th century Ottoman Turkey a dhimmi's testimony was worth only half of a Muslim's and apostasy laws were neforced.

Perhaps Mr. Obama is saving the things I think he should have said for a later date, when he has won more trust in the Islamic world. But I doubt it.

Indeed, much as I did not welcome the interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, I have to say that the most hopeful period for real democracy, nuclear responsibility, and human rights in the Islamic world came in the months after Sadam Hussein was toppled.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".