CAIRO: Quoting from the Qur’an for emphasis, President Barack Obama called yesterday for a “new beginning between the United States and Muslims” and said together, they could confront violent extremism across the globe and advance the timeless search for peace in the Middle East.
“This cycle of suspicion and discord must end,” Obama said in one of the world’s largest Muslim countries.
He acknowledged civilization’s debt to Islam. “It was Islam that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.”
In Al-Azhar University’s imposing domed Great Hall, Obama said the US bond with Israel, the source of much Arab distrust of the United States, was unbreakable. But breaking with his predecessor George W. Bush, Obama also rebuked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to halt West Bank settlement expansion. He called for a complete halt to all settlement expansion.
He reiterated his support for a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. “Let there be no doubt: The situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own,” he said.
He treaded lightly on one issue that Bush had made a centerpiece of his second term — the spread of democracy. Obama said: “No system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other.”
The US president renewed his offer of dialogue with Iran without preconditions. “It will be hard to overcome decades of mistrust, but we will proceed with courage, rectitude and resolve,” Obama said.
Obama called on Muslim countries to support the education and employment of women. “I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal,” Obama said. “But I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality. And it is no coincidence that countries where women are well-educated are far more likely to be prosperous.”
The president added: “I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal. And I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles. But it should be their choice.”
