The president extended a hand to members of the faith in a speech Thursday.
Wired PR News – President Barack Obama reached out to the Muslim world Thursday, and affirmed that America was not and would never be at war with it. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), Obama expressed in a speech given at Cairo University in Egypt that it was time for a new era in the relationship between the U.S. and Islam.
Obama is quoted by the AP as stating, “America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.”
Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a cleric and former vice president of Iran under President Mohammad Khatami regarded Obama’s speech as reparation for the negative atmosphere attributed to the Bush Administration, and is quoted in the report as stating, “This can be an initial step for removing misconceptions between world of Islam and the West.”
