I read with interest the article “Not a war on Islam” (Feb. 23) by Hassan Barari. We appreciate US President Barack Obama’s statement but the truth is action speaks louder than words. It seems that President Obama has become hostage to the whims and wishes of neocons within the US establishment. He is undoubtedly a nice person due to which he is being criticized for his alleged inaction. Had there been some hawkish president like Bush, people would have kept quiet over his aggressive policies. The problem is that the US cannot stay out of the current Middle East crisis. We don’t specifically blame Obama for this current mess but he has a moral responsibility to set the region in order, as it was the wrong policies of his predecessor that transformed the region into a cauldron of chaos.

Obama should revisit his policy toward Iran. Washington cannot ignore Tehran’s role in fomenting unrest in the region. A US-Iran détente will only hurt the strategic interests of Washington’s allies and might change the equation in the region. Most, if not all, of the Muslim countries are reaching out to Russia, which should send alarm bells ringing in Washington.

Tariq Shah

Jeddah