By Zaba Rashan

With the results of the Iranian election between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his opponent, former Prime Minister Mirhossein Mousavi, still up in the air it remains to be seen what role that country will play on the world stage and in U.S. foreign policy. Commenting on the election President Barack Obama cited his speech to the Muslim world in Cairo as sending a "clear message" about the "possibility of change" in the Middle East, and lauded what he described as a "robust debate" between opposing parties in Iran. Speaking in terms of potential relations between the U.S. and Iran, Obama stressed that such conversations would "help advance our ability to engage them in new ways." Zaba Rashan reflects on what Obama's speech in Cairo meant to her, a Muslim-American woman of Afghani origin.

As a Muslim-American it is hard for me to see the supposed clash in ideology between Islam and Western ideals. I live my daily life comfortably and am able to appreciate and practice the beauty that is Islam and the liberties that Americans enjoy. Yet I do see how certain forces are bent on playing up differences and presenting Islam in conflict with the West. After President Obama’s speech to the Muslim world on June 4th, I am optimistic at the prospect of a new relationship, a new direction, and a new discourse for our world.

President Obama stated in his speech in Cairo that as long as the West and the Muslim world define their relationship by their differences, we will only empower those who seek to divide the two further. He expressed that Islam and the West have no differences in their fundamentals and can coexist peacefully. To hear this from just about the most powerful man in the world reaffirms all my beliefs that through diplomacy and open-mindedness we can achieve a common goal of peace.

As an Afghani-American, I was particularly interested in what the President had to say about his plan to rebuild infrastructure within Pakistan and Afghanistan. The right path towards stabilizing these countries is advancement for the people. Funding aid into crucial aspects of life, such as education, healthcare, and job opportunities will bring stability to the region. Diplomacy and rebuilding those societies are more important than military intervention, as indicated through Obama’s promises to withdraw troops from the region by 2012. Pulling out troops from Afghanistan will show the Afghani people that military occupation is not what the United States has in mind for the country.

To hear the President condemn the atrocities that Israel has committed against the Palestinian people brings fresh hope in the light of a horrendous situation. By invoking crimes committed against Jews in the past, President Obama reminds them of their own history of persecution and says that wrongs have also been done against Palestinians. I was amazed at the courage shown by Obama because in the last eight years, the Bush administration had given Israel the right to do whatever it wanted against an unarmed, civilian population. It was not right then, nor is it right now. Recognizing this fact rather than blindly supporting Israel is a step forward towards justice.

President Obama’s speech is a beacon of hope after eight years of regression rather than progression. He has reached out to the Muslim world; now it is time to see real cooperation and progress between the two, or we will suffer under the same policies we have seen for the past eight years. Western ideologies and Islamic values are not mutually exclusive, and the fact that the leader of the most powerful nation is willing to recognize this and rebuild a relationship with the Muslim world shows that times are changing and people are changing and are open to dialogue.

The President’s speech makes me hopeful for progress, and proud to be a Muslim-American at this crucial time in our nation’s history.

Zaba Rashan is currently a student at the University of California-Irvine and has just finished up an internship at the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA).

 

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