andrew sullivan

Obama to Muslim World: Stereotypes must be addressed

The President’s address to the Muslim world was another encouraging step for many reasons.  One of them was the President’s emphasis on debunking the assumptions and stereotypes that have caused confusion, anger, or worse between Americans and Muslims.

“I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear,” said President Obama, “But that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America. Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire.”

Mr. Obama has yet again put dialogue and airing out stereotypes on the table as something that should be treated seriously.   Mr. Obama was keen to note passages from sacred texts of all three Abrahamic faiths.  Some obviously have brushed this off as nothing more than political pandering, but one could also look at it as an example of how to reach out.  We can’t be afraid to open our minds and learn about the beliefs of others.  It is this very example the Turk Film Project seeks to follow.

As for reactions, I did not get to speak to many people today to see if this or any particular part of the speech resonated for them.  Ofcourse, pundits from CNN to Fox News made the traditional comments either blasting or commending the president.  Republicans like House Minority Leader John Boehner said he was “concerned” about President Obama’s stance on Israel and while other Republicans like Mitt Romney also wished Obama would end this “apology tour” for past US policy moves.

Still, even Obama’s critics like Marc Thiessen, former Bush speechwriter, said the address emphasized many strong points including the fact that more Muslims have died at the hands of Al-Quaeda than Christians or Jews.

Coming back to the point that an open look at our selves and each other would improve relations, supporter Andrew Sullivan wrote for The Atlantic, “At its heart, the speech sprang, it seemed to me, a spiritual conviction that human differences, if openly acknowledged, need not remain crippling.”