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Obama's Egypt visit is a new effort by the US president to improve stained relations with the Muslim world. |
CAIRO — In a new outreach to the Muslim world, US President Barack Obama will visit Egypt, home to Al-Azhar, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni Muslim world, next month in a bid to improve strained ties with worldwide Muslims, the Washington Times reported on Saturday, May 9.
"On June 4, the president will give a speech in Egypt," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
"The speech will be about America's relations with the Muslim world."
In his speech, Obama is expected to talk about the common values and challenges facing both the US and the Muslim world.
"(It will demonstrate) how we can work together to ensure the safety and security and the future wellbeing through hope and opportunity of the children of this country and of the Muslim world," Gibbs said.
The White House said Egypt was chosen as a venue for Obama's speech due to its weight in the Muslim and Arab world and its efforts to reach a Middle East peace deal.
"It is a country that in many ways represents the heart of the Arab world," Gibbs said.
"I think it will be a terrific opportunity for the president to address and discuss our relationship with the Muslim world."
Last month, Obama delighted Muslims after seizing upon his visit to Turkey, the first visit to a Muslim country since he came to office, to state that the US is not in war with Islam.
America's relations with the Muslim and Arab world hit all time low under Obama's predecessor George W. Bush.
Muslims were particularly angered by Bush's so-called war on terror which saw the invasion of two Muslim countries; Afghanistan and Iraq.
A series of detainees abuse scandals in Afghanistan, Iraq and the notorious Guantanamo detention camp also fanned anti-Americanism across the globe, but particularly in Muslim countries.
US Hand
Gibbs said Obama will "extend a hand to those that in many ways are like us, but just simply have a different religion."
"Our hope is not to draw a large crowd, but our hope is to reach a large portion of the world with what we hope is a powerful message."
Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, predicted Obama's speech would be personal in tone.
"This is something [Obama] has wanted to do - not staff-driven or consultant-driven - much like his race speech in Philadelphia," Alterman said.
"As someone who partly grew up in a Muslim country, Obama was profoundly affected by the tension between the US and the Muslim world after Sept. 11 and feels a personal need and responsibility" to try to repair the relationship.
Obama is the son of a Muslim-turned-atheist Kenyan father and a white American mother that did not practice religion.
Born in Hawaii, he lived from ages 6 to 10 in Indonesia with his mother and Muslim stepfather.
Obama's Egypt trip is one of several steps the new president has taken to reach out to the Muslim world.
He recorded a video message for the Persian festival of Nowruz, celebrated as the Iranian New Year, and his first television interview as president was given not to a US network but to the Arab-language network Al Arabiya.
"We just hope these positive rhetorical statements translate into similarly positive policy initiatives toward the Muslim world," said Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
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