Kyaw Win - Speech to the Arab World

Assalamu Alaikum (peace be upon you)

(Salamalay Kun)

Speech by US President Barack Obama at Cairo University, Egypt, June 4, 2009, 3:58 PM

Good evening to you.

I am deeply honored to be here in Cairo, the eternal city that will never die. I am even more honored to be the guest of two great and historic institutions. My friends, your Al-Azhar University has been a beacon of Islamic learning for over a thousand years. Similarly, your Cairo University has been a haven for the Egyptian people for over a hundred years. In short, these two institutions are symbols of the harmony between tradition and modernity. Is that right?

Let me first express my special gratitude to you and the entire Egyptian people for their hospitality. At the same time, I would like to express my gratitude to the American people.

I would like to express my gratitude and pride for the opportunity to carry with me the good wishes and peace greetings of the Muslim community in our country. With this sense of gratitude and pride, I extend my warm greetings to all my friends.

"Assalamu Alaikum (peace be upon you)"

(Applause)

Friends, it is unfortunate that we meet today at a time of bitter tensions between the United States and Muslims around the world. In fact, these tensions go beyond current policy debates and are deeply rooted in historical forces. Over the centuries, the relationship between Islam and the West has seen beautiful times of peaceful coexistence and harmonious cooperation, as well as ugly times of conflict and religious wars.

If we look back at recent history, we can see that colonialism and the Cold War have further inflamed existing hatreds. Colonialism denied the rights and opportunities of the Muslim majority. The Cold War dragged Muslim-majority countries into partisan politics, ignoring their own aspirations. Since then, the global changes brought about by modernization and globalization have led Muslims to see the West as a hostile force to traditional Islamic values.

Indeed, history is a constant roller coaster of events. Sadly, violent extremists have historically used the sparks of hatred to stoke the flames of hatred among a small but powerful minority of Muslims. The September 11, 2001 attacks by these violent extremists, and the subsequent killings of innocent civilians, have led some countries to develop a distorted view of a great religion. Some have mistakenly believed that Islam is hostile not only to America and the West, but to all of humanity.

All of these developments can only fuel greater fear and greater mistrust. If we continue to define our relationship in terms of our differences, we will be giving power to our enemies. Our enemies are those who are more interested in sowing hatred than peace. Those who are more interested in fighting than in cooperating. Only by working together can we help achieve justice and prosperity for all. We can end the cycle of injustice that benefits no one.

My friends and comrades, I come to this great gathering to begin a new relationship between the United States and Muslims around the world. This new relationship must be based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. America and Islam are not separate. Nor are they enemies. They must be based on the truth that we are brothers and sisters, standing together on the same principles of justice, progress, tolerance of different ideas, and human dignity.

I recognize that change cannot happen overnight. I am confident that all of you will consider what I have said today. But the roots of mistrust that have been entrenched for many years cannot be uprooted by a single speech. Nor can the historical problems that have led to the current situation we face be resolved in one evening.

However, I do believe that if we are to move forward from this situation, we must speak openly and honestly. We cannot hide behind closed doors like we used to. We must reveal everything that is in our hearts. At the same time, we must listen to each other, respect each other, learn from each other, and strive to find common ground. As the Holy Quran says, we must always speak the truth with our heads bowed to Allah.”

(Applause)

The issue I will strive to address today is this command of the Holy Quran. Let me speak the truth with the utmost honesty and sincerity. While humbly accepting the task before us, let me state my conviction firmly. The interests we share as brothers and sisters are infinitely more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.

That said, this belief is partly rooted in my life experience.

I am a Christian. But my father comes from a Kenyan family. Many of our ancestors were Muslim. I spent many years of my childhood in Indonesia. I can say that throughout my childhood, I grew up listening to the call to prayer (Azan) from the mosques every dawn and dusk.

As a young man, I worked in the Chicago Muslim community. During that time, I met many people who found human dignity and peace in the Muslim faith. I later became a history student.

I learned about the debt Western civilization owes to Islam. It was Islamic institutions like our friend's "Al-Azha" University that carried the light of knowledge across the centuries. It was this light of knowledge that paved the way for the European Renaissance and the Enlightenment. In fact, modern values ​​were brought and invented by the Muslim community.

(Applause)

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