Obama to Arabic Network: U.S. is Not Your Enemy

Barack Obama gave his first formal interview as U.S. president recently, speaking with an interviewer from the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya news channel. During the interview, Obama mentioned his Muslim background and relatives and stressed one major point to Muslims: "that the Americans are not your enemy." Obama further noted that though the U.S. had made mistakes in the past, "the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there’s no reason why we can’t restore that."

Obama hit on many of the major issues facing the Middle East, as well as relations between the U.S. and the various Muslim countries in the region. He mentioned Iran specifically and noted that "it is important for us to be willing to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress." Obama’s interview spurred a lot of speculation among residents throughout the region. Youssef Ali, who lives in Iraq, told reporters that "He’s different from the previous presidents, perhaps because of his color or his Islamic background. My views of America are quite different now than they were during the Bush administration."

Others were more skeptical. "I can’t be optimistic until I see something tangible," noted Hatem al-Kurdi, who resides in Gaza City. "Anyone can say nice words, but you have to follow with actions." Obama also discussed the fact that recent messages from al-Qaida indicate that they don’t know quite how to take the new president. Said Obama, "They seem nervous. What that tells me is that their ideas are bankrupt."