Will ‘Change’ overwhelm the ‘Muslim world’?

Kamna Arora

“I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries. My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy." Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America, is all set to heal the rift between the Muslim world and Western countries. He is ready to change the policies of his predecessor, George W Bush, to break all taboos that are ruining the US-Muslim world ties. As part of the process to bring about the ‘change’, the US President is scheduled to deliver a speech on June 4 in Egypt on US’ relations with the Islamic world. Surely, the address is eagerly awaited. Obama knew beforehand that one of the major tasks ahead after taking over at the White House would be to leave no stone unturned in bridging the gaps created by the Bush administration. "Let me say this as clearly as I can: the United States is not and will never be at war with Islam," he stated during his recent visit to Turkey. September 11, 2001 did not just see terror strikes, but also witnessed the beginning of polarisation of the world between Islam and the West. One of the major casualties of the US-led invasion of Iraq was the polarisation of the world between a Muslim ‘‘us’’ and a Western ‘‘them’’. The Bush administration’s recasting of the ‘war on terror’ as a "war against Islamic fascism" – as made pretty clear by the former president in some of his speeches in 2006 – offended the Islamic societies. Commenting on this, President of the Islamic Society of North America, Ingrid Mattson, had said in September 2006, “I’m convinced that it is not only inaccurate, but unhelpful. If our major concern is security, security of this country, this is a term that has very bad resonance in the Muslim majority world and makes us feel uncomfortable here.” On the other hand, White House supporters and Republican strategists defended the usage of the term, saying it was just a part of the effort to clearly ascertain the ideology that gives birth to many organised terrorist groups. A poll conducted in 2007 throughout the Muslim and Arab world tagged Bush as the most hated public figure in the region, while Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah emerged as the most popular one. Now, Obama has taken over the reins at the White House. And in a new poll, just over half of the Arab respondents from six countries say they are "somewhat hopeful" or "very hopeful" apropos of Obama administration’s Middle East policy. The result shows that though the US is considered to be a threat in the Arab world due to its friendship with Israel, over 50% of respondents has faith in Obama. There is a general support for him in the region, thanks to his middle name ‘Hussein’. Since assuming power, Obama has extended a hand of friendship towards the Islamic world on various occasions. Be it his visit to Muslim Turkey or his first formal interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya Network, Obama has not missed any opportunity to woo the Muslims across the world and change the ‘anti-Muslim’ image of the US. Will Obama be able to win over Muslims? Obama has to find common ground, build bridges and walk together to make this world a much better place to live in. The issues that will be a deciding factor are his stand as well as performance on the Israel-Palestine peace process and Iraq. His response should be practicable, understandable, and that can be measured. The Arabs want Obama to convince Israel to halt settlement and dismantle illegal outposts. In fact, the US’ timely withdrawal from Iraq could also add to Obama’s credibility among Muslims. How charismatic is Obama? Over 66 million Americans belonging to all races, ethnicities and religions voted for the African-American. His speeches, his vision enthralled the US voters. It is still to be seen if Obama’s charisma, vision, determination and motivation could help him win hearts of the Muslims across the world. Good luck Mr President!