President Obama is set to deliver a much-hyped address to the Muslim world tomorrow in Egypt. Obama has spoken many times of his desire for a warmer relationship with the Muslim world—to which end he used his middle name Hussein during his inauguration. Tomorrow represents a tremendous opportunity to reach out.
What should he say? First, he should emphasize actions he has taken which should appeal to Muslims around the world. He signed an order to close Guantanamo Bay, which was a public relations disaster. He is also putting pressure on Israel regarding settlements and pushing for a Palestinian state early in his presidency.
Second, Obama should talk about his history with the Muslim world, having lived in Indonesia as a kid. He can plausibly claim to have heartfelt admiration for Islam and Islamic culture. Perhaps this history will give Obama more credibility with Muslims than either President Bush or President Clinton had.
Third, Obama should try and portray America in the most positive light possible. He certainly disagrees with many actions President Bush took, but it won’t do to spend a great deal of time trashing his record. Rather, Obama should insist that whatever Bush’s mistakes, everything he did was done out of sincere concern. He wanted Iraqis to be able to live in freedom.
Obama should also tout the improvements in Iraq post-surge. Iraq is a safer place, and infrastructure is being built up even as we speak. This is not to ignore the profound human cost that Iraqis and Americans have borne, and Obama can show that he empathizes with those who have lost family members amid the all the carnage. The key in this is to make the point that America is a good, if flawed country that has tried to play a positive role in the Middle East and wants to continue to do so in the future. .
Lastly, Obama should challenge Muslims. I truly believe that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are peace-loving, and that terrorists who murder the innocent pervert Islam. Obama should challenge moderate Muslims to fight Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda leadership for influence in the Muslim world.
The overall message coming across should be that Obama has profound respect for Islam, that he will do everything possible to work with the Muslim world, but that in exchange, he needs Muslims to be active partners in the pursuit of peace.
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