Some have been critical of President Obama’s choice to give his upcoming speech to the Muslim world in Egypt. Critics point to Egypt’s history of autocratic rule. They ask, won’t Obama’s speech just be validating a regime that for decades has silenced dissidents and has refused to embrace the type of democratic rule that is so needed throughout the Muslim world? Wouldn’t the President have been better served by choosing a Muslim country such as Indonesia that has embraced democracy and espouses an exceptionally tolerant version of Islam.
Yes, if the purpose of this speech was to highlight a Muslim ideal of democratic governance, there certainly would be better candidates than Egypt. That, however, would miss the point. Just as candidate Obama argued during his campaign that we don’t get anywhere by refusing to talk to those who disagree with us, President Obama was right to make his address in a Muslim country that doesn’t necessarily meet the American ideal. If you only talk with those who agree with you, it’s easy to make headway. The real challenge is reaching out to those who are skeptical - those who might disagree. Nixon going to China didn’t mean that Nixon approved of the Chinese form of government. Looking at it from this vantage point - Egypt seems like a much better choice.
President Obama should, of course, use this speech to make it clear that Islam and democracy can peacefully coexist. This will mean not tip toeing around the authoritarian practices of Egypt’s government. Fortunately, President Obama’s past history of addressing difficult issues head on whether speaking about abortion at a Catholic University or the issue of race and his controversial pastor is an encouraging sign for this important speech. Hopefully, he’ll continue this tradition of addressing the difficult issues head on and not give the Egyptian leadership a pass.
Egypt has a rich Islamic history that can not be ignored. His speech there on Thursday acknowledges that in order to reach Muslims around the world, it is important to speak to them in their own backyard. A speech given from another location might be less complicated in terms of providing a consistent message, but would avoid the very difficult issues that democrats and Muslims must face around the world - how to ensure that Islam and democracy are not seen as mutually exclusive.
The reality is that although the Muslim world has high hopes for Obama, they’ve heard much talk before about reaching out to the Muslim world. President Bush called Islam a “religion of peace”. He also said, “Islam is a vibrant faith. Millions of our fellow citizens are Muslim. We respect the faith. We honor its traditions. “ So, having a president speak positively about Islam is certainly not a new thing. What must be different this time are the actions associated with such language. Fortunately, the Obama administration has made steps in the right direction. The renewed interest in the Israeli Palestinian peace process is a welcome change as is the recent statement by Hillary Clinton saying that the Obama administration “wants to see a stop to settlements – not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions.”
The Muslim world’s confidence in Obama could be further strengthened if he chooses not to ignore the elephant in the room - the Egyptian regime. If Obama’s speech starts a conversation about how Islam and democracy can co-exist and doesn’t let Egypt off the hook, he will have done a great service.
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