Letter from the Editor
John L. Esposito, Editor in Chief
One of the most renowned scholars in the field of Islamic studies in the United States, Editor in Chief John L. Esposito provides a regular commentary for visitors to the site. These letters discuss topics pertaining to this resource and the Islamic world, developments on the site and other issues.
Dear Reader,
Most Muslims, like many other people around the world, welcomed a Barack Obama presidency with great expectations. Many identified with the fact that President Barack Hussein Obama has a “Muslim name” and that he lived in Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population, as a child.
Ironically, Obama’s Muslim connections had been used during the primaries in an attempt to discredit his candidacy. Reflecting the climate of Islamophobia, hard-line Christian Zionists like Pat Robertson, John Hagee, and Ron Parsley, along with anti-Muslim Web sites and some media commentators, had tried to establish that Obama was a Muslim—as if this should disqualify him from being president. Obama himself and his advisers were in fact careful to keep a distance from any association with Islam or Muslims. At a rally in Detroit, widely recognized as a major Arab- and Muslim-American hub, Obama volunteers asked two young Muslim women in hijab to leave the stage so that they would not be photographed or shown on television when Obama addressed the crowd. Obama staffers explained that in “this political climate,” it would not be prudent for Obama to be seen on camera with Muslim women in hijab behind him. In response to pressure from Muslim leaders, Obama personally apologized to the young women. However, in contrast to his public profile with Jewish and Christian leaders, Obama continued to avoid meetings with Muslim leaders and visits to Islamic centers. Though he spoke of his willingness to take military action in Pakistan if necessary, he was noticeably silent on the tragedy of the Gaza war. If some Muslims were critical of Obama in this regard, others accepted the candidate’s need to be sensitive to the political realities and prevailing political climate. After his election and inauguration, President Obama moved quickly to reach out and restore relations with the Muslim world. In his inaugural address, he subtly distanced himself from the Bush administration’s legacy, speaking of a departure from “our legacy” and the sacrifice of American principles and values in the name of fighting a war on terrorism, and he expressed the desire that America reemerge as a principled global leader. Speaking directly to the Muslim world, Obama called for “a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.”
On January 28, 2009, in his first televised interview from the White House, Obama addressed the Arab and Muslim worlds on Al Arabiya, the prominent Arab satellite TV network. He sought to counter soaring anti-Americanism and reassure Muslims that “the Americans are not your enemy.” Attempting to stimulate a shift from the global perception of U.S. arrogance and interventionism, Obama declared that while “we sometimes make mistakes,” America is not a colonial power, and that he hoped for a restoration of “the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as twenty or thirty years ago.”
Obama continued his dialogue with the Muslim world and reinforced his message in an address to the Turkish Parliament in Ankara on April 6. He spoke directly to the widespread belief among many Muslims that the Bush administration’s war against global terrorism had become a war against Islam and Muslims. Acknowledging that the war in Iraq had sown widespread Muslim mistrust of America, Obama affirmed, “The U.S. is not, and will never be at war with Islam.” Praising Islam’s contributions to civilization, Obama reiterated his desire for a new partnership, rooted not just in opposition to terrorism but also in a broader engagement based on mutual interest, respect, and goals.
Moreover, he stressed his respect for Islam and the role of Muslim Americans and his own personal connection with Islam, noting “our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world—including in my own country. The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country. I know, because I am one of them.”
On June 4, President Obama addressed the Muslim world at Cairo University in Egypt in a groundbreaking speech that exceeded the expectations and predictions of many commentators and built on his previous outreach to Muslims. The address revealed Obama’s belief that the divisive issues at hand involve respect for Islam, the value of Muslim lives, and American foreign policy, not religion or a clash of civilizations. Obama demonstrated a desire to address and redress political concerns and grievances in hot spots ranging from Palestine and Iraq to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. He emphasized the need for diplomacy over military responses, illustrated by his plans to pull out of Iraq and to use temporary military power in Afghanistan in coalition with nearly fifty countries. Most importantly, Obama promised aid for economic and education development to assist Pakistanis and Afghans.
Obama also used the speech as an opportunity to be direct and candid with his Muslim audience—speaking out against crude stereotyping of America as a self-interested empire—and to address multiple issues including religious freedom, Christians in the Arab world, anti-Semitism, women’s status, religious extremism, political authoritarianism, and human rights. He balanced his critique with respect and emphasized the need for partnership, not unilateral action, in building a new way forward.
Obama and the United States now face a Muslim world in which widespread anti-Americanism has grown exponentially, due not to a clash of religions, values, or cultures, but to American foreign policy. In light of U.S. support for authoritarian Muslim governments, the invasion and occupation of Iraq, human rights abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, and Israel in its military actions in Lebanon and Gaza, many Muslims have deep concerns and grievances. They fear Western intervention and domination and believe that the West—particularly the United States—uses a double standard in its promotion of democracy and human rights. Obama’s message as president—a message of respect, self-criticism, and restraint—resonates with the vast majority of Muslims around the world who, like Americans, want peace not war, security not instability and terrorism, and a partnership based on respect and common interests rather than unilateralism. As a Gallup world poll showed, a majority of Muslims want better relations with the West and desire coexistence not conflict (Esposito and Mogahed, Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think). Most admire America’s basic principles and values of self-determination, freedom, democracy, and human rights.
After only six months in office, Obama has proven highly active and effective in engaging leaders and groups around the world, including the Muslim world. In doing so, however, he has also raised the bar—the very yardstick by which he will be judged. People in the Middle East and the Muslim world are watching closely—many enthusiastic and hopeful, some cynical. A common question and concern reflected in the media and in my recent trips to Cairo and the Gulf is, “If Obama represents a very new and fresh chapter in American politics, why then do so many aspects of his administration smack of the Bush era?” The answer is still to be seen.
John L. Esposito
Editor in Chief
Oxford Islamic Studies Online
October 2009
