President Barack Hussein Obama spoke last week at the University of Cairo last week. As a resident of the Middle East, I joined millions of other residents of this troubled region, in anticipation that the president of the world delivers new hopes. To a certain degree, he did. If I had to sum it up in a few sentences, omitting the parts in which Obama praised Muslims around the world for being innovative and tolerant, I’d use the following statement:
Many Jews died in the Holocaust, so they need a home country. Palestinians need a home state as well. Iranians are OK to play with nukes, but carefully. Jews are OK, Muslims are fun. We are friends with all. Palestinians: no violence, Israelis: no settlements. Two states for two peoples. Everything cool, all honky dory. Let the game begin.
So indeed, there’s hope. But it was covered with so much dung, it is almost unbelievable. Islam paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance? Muslim developed algebra? Compass? (The compass was invented in ancient China sometime before the 2nd century, and was used for navigation by the 11th century. The dry compass was invented in medieval Europe around 1300. This was supplanted in the early 20th century by the liquid-filled magnetic compass) Printing? (By 593 A.D., the first printing press was invented in China, Woodblock printing on cloth appeared in Egypt by the 4th century – both long before Islam). Medicine and science? Please. Here’s the comprehensive list of Muslim Nobel Prize winners:
Literature: 1988 – Najib Mahfooz, 2006 – Orhan Pamuk
Peace: 1978 – Anwar El-Sadat, 1994 – Yasser Arafat (yes that one, the arch-terrorist, 2003 – Shirin Ebadi, 2005 – Mohamed ElBaradei, 2006 – Muhammad Yunus
Chemistry: 1999 – Ahmed Zewail
Physics: 1979 – Abdus Salam
I don’t mean to be a pest, there are a couple of hundred Jewish Nobel Prize winners. Bear in mind that Muslims are about one fifth (20%) of the planet’s population. Jews are a fraction of 1%… I’ll have to agree with the architecture though, Muslims built some of the most fascinating structures in the world (I know it is debatable, but some suggest that the Jews actually built the Pyramids). And while I agree with the President that stereotyping is wrong, categorizing Islam as peace-loving, tolerant and open-minded, can easily take one’s mind off the fact that some people in the world are still mutilating women’s genitalia and practice suicide bombing.
Having said that, though, I do believe that some honesty was practiced in the President’s speech. Israel will not survive with the settlements. Israel must wake up from the dream, or rather the nightmare, that territories will not be returned, that Jerusalem will stay united, that force will buy them peace. Palestinians must understand that Israel is here to stay, that killing Israelis will scare the survivors away, that terrorism actually works long term. Once all sides accept the presence of the other, we have a chance to co-survive here.
The following paragraphs are excerpts from the President’s speech. Again, I think President Barack Huseein Obama is an extraordinary person, smart, handsome and quite a charismatic speaker. He is outstanding indeed. If anyone ever had a chance of accomplishing world peace – he is the guy. And while he could have used a little more facts in his speech and a little less wishful thinking, I wish him (and all of us) success in all his endeavors.
“As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam. It was Islam – at places like Al-Azhar University – that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.
I know, too, that Islam has always been a part of America’s story. The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President John Adams wrote, “The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims.” And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States. They have fought in our wars, served in government, stood for civil rights, started businesses, taught at our Universities, excelled in our sports arenas, won Nobel Prizes, built our tallest building, and lit the Olympic Torch. And when the first Muslim-American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same Holy Koran that one of our Founding Fathers – Thomas Jefferson – kept in his personal library.
Let me just add here, that indeed the president is correct, but is he ready to surrender the statistics of who exactly of those Muslims who helped shape the United States was a born Muslim, with the heritage and the parents, or a Christian who found Islam as a part of re-birth?
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