I always believe that if you cannot help someone with your actions, you can at least, comfort him with your words. President Obama's much-awaited speech in Cairo reminds me of this. As a minimum that he could do, Obama is trying to comfort the Muslim world with his verbal charm for now. His vocal efforts to seek a new beginning between the US and the Muslims around the world are valued. He indeed delivered a very powerful speech in an inspiring language and an explanatory tone, by virtue of which he was able to engage the world in his message of hope for about 55 minutes. His speech showed that he cares for Muslims and is eager to establish confidence and understanding among them. However, I was keen to know what he could offer to the Muslims that could also be practically implemented. He honestly accepted that tensions between Islam and the West have been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims. He said that majority of the Muslim countries were often treated as proxies during the Cold War era without regard for their own aspirations. Furthermore, he stated that the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to Islam and that the violent extremists have exploited these tensions. Beyond doubt, it portrayed him positively as he sought to share the blame for the tense relationship between the US and the Muslim world. Consequently, it also propelled the Muslim masses to listen to him with high hopes and a positive approach. As we listened further, we found that it was an entirely inspiring and dynamic speech with regard to the points that he raised. However, this was done without clearly stating the outline of the plans through which he hopes to implement it. It was a good job of mere utterances that may change the world's political scenario if pursued by all elements including the Arab world. But feasibility is the basic requirement. President Obama demanded that the global community should involve itself in teamwork and made it clear that America did not have to be the ‘driving force' in the wake of those changes he wishes for a happy world. He addressed seven issues which he himself described as not easy to tackle. His speech showed that guarding the US interests is his priority. He presented his speech with a blend of logic while also showing a spirit to put to rest the belief that the West is at war with the Muslim World. He skillfully cited cultural, religious as well as historical references. However, in the current global financial crisis, it looks somewhat difficult for these pleasant dreams to actually come true, particularly when plans to implement these ideas are unknown. Every peace-loving individual, like Obama, thinks that we should ditch all conspiracy theories and that all nations of the world should join hands for the benefit of the mankind. But how to do that is a major question. While the issues of violent extremism, democracy, religious freedom, betterment of Muslim women, and economic development and opportunities were addressed in an expected way, the issue of ‘religious freedom' was the only issue that showed some practical implementation. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has made good efforts through the ‘interfaith dialogue' to create an understanding. The US has planned to invest $1.5 billion each year over the next five years in Pakistan and $2.8 billion to help development in Afghanistan, but the US should also bear the responsibility of seeing through its support to end the issues enduringly. Moreover, while President Obama assured to remove all US troops from Iraq by 2012, the manner in which the US intends to position itself as Iraq's partner and not its patron is still vague. President Obama seemed unfair for a moment when he spoke of the ‘Israel –Palestine' issue. He said that “Palestinians must abandon violence,” while neglecting the fact that the violent activities are not perpetrated only by the Palestinians and instead those are simply the reactions to Israel's actions. Resistance through violence and killing is wrong, but so are Israel's armed violent actions. President Obama will have to implement a comprehensible peace plan as soon as possible. President Obama acknowledged the right of Iran to access the peaceful nuclear power. However, to prevent a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, he should also make sure that Israel's nuclear power is under control. According to President Obama, “No single nation would pick and choose that nation which holds nuclear weapons.” But he did not mention on which platform nations will stand to decide things. We have already seen platforms like the United Nations Organization (UNO) that is imperfectly used by the ‘Veto' powers. The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) should be strictly obeyed by all countries of the world in an inflexible manner through a perfect platform. It would be a serious issue if the possibility of its implementation would be hindered after this much-hyped good-will speech. It was only fair that Obama appeared apologetic about the countless deaths of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan when he stated that, “Al-Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people in the 9/11 incident.” No one can deny that just like the victims of 9/11, the victims in Iraq and Afghanistan were also innocent men, women and children who had done no harm. Some media reports have rightly praised an element in Obama's speech that I too wish to highlight – Obama did not use the word ‘terrorist' in his thrilling address, in a marked contrast to his predecessor, George W. Bush, who defined much of his foreign policy as a ‘war on terrorism'. Instead, Obama noted a common enemy in extremism. One media report said that “he managed never to utter the word ‘terrorism' in his speech that comes to mind most often when many Americans think about Islam”. All it proves is that Obama has been very cautious and has succeeded in his effort to be viewed in a judicious way. He used his best brains gathering thoughts to address the right subject matters through the right words. Although, we cannot deny his great effort to please Muslims, the real outcome of his speech is also an important need of the hour. Muslims are very gracious hosts. As far as the President came with a positive reason and a spirit of mutual understanding, he was warmly received. However, sweet words alone cannot butter the bread. President Obama may succeed to please many people by his optimistic and promising words, but this has also added to the duty he has to shoulder. Not to forget that actions speak louder than words. His actions should be matched with his words to make the world a better place to live. Otherwise his speech will be considered as merely a string of sugar-coated words, which is common among all leaders. As a result, the cycle of suspicion and disagreement may further grow much more powerful, instead of getting resolved. President Obama cannot put off any possible action by saying that change cannot happen overnight. His speech is a sign of goodwill, but it must also be followed with actions. Merely talking about doing something will not get it done. For now, we can only hope that President Obama's words are not just words.
