President Obama’s Speech in Cairo
The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that President Obama said US relations with the Muslim world will “require…a recognition on both the part of the United States as well as many majority-Muslim countries about each other, a better sense of understanding and the possibilities of achieving common ground” during an interview with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Cultural understanding is paramount to the mutual interest and respect he aims to engender through his position as President.
Earlier today, the New York Times tells us that President Obama implored “America and the Islamic world to drop their suspicions of one another” during his first speech from the Muslim world at Cairo University. The process of learning culture is, more or less, a proxy creating trust and respect for a culturally distinct community. Because of the President’s life experiences in numerous cultures, he brings unique insights and sensitivities that enable him to speak with authority in these situations. For example, Obama greeted the audience with a linguistic gesture of goodwill by using a common and important Muslim greeting: assalaamu alaykum, which literally means “peace be upon you” in Arabic. This demonstrated his awareness of culture and led him to cite the Qur’an, which was another culturally sensitive action that acknowledged his audience.
How did you react to his speech? Let us know.
