Me, Obama and the Middle East!
January 24th, 2009Today America is witnessing history in the making. Americans will wake up today with the first colored President. Martin Luther King had a dream 50 years ago to change America and Obama was the man to do the job.
This wasn’t an easy path, the struggle began when West Africans were enslaved, kidnapped and shipped to America on boats. They were abused, killed, assassinated and massacred. It began with Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and it wasn’t until Abraham Lincoln who freed the slaves in 1865. But a hundred years later, African Americans were still discriminated. A hundred years later, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historical speech “I have a Dream”. The struggle didn’t end here; African Americans were subject to massacres by white supremacists in the late 1880’s. They met secretly in 1905 in Niagara Falls to end the racial discrimination. For 11 years, the Civil Rights Movement from 1957 until 1968 was the turning point for African Americans. And in 1964, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. People like Malcolm X, Rosa Park, Martin Luther King Jr. and the men who sacrificed their lives in the American Civil War, World War I & II, Korea and Vietnam can never be forgotten.
Martin Luther King Jr. said:
“We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last! “
I was glued today to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama. This man has a magical affect on people of all generations. He is very charismatic, calm, smart, and sends positive vibes every time I watch him. He is a self made intellectual, confident and pleasant character leader. He is the hope for millions of Americans and people across the globe that has had it with the state of war and misery in America. Bush left Obama with a legacy of a struggled and weakened Economy, insecurity for millions of Americans and home owners, a devastated war in Iraq & Afghanistan and a reputation of a nation that is badly damaged. The world views the American government as the aggressive bully dominating the world and its oil resources, and putting down economies in Europe and Asia. The world is a mess.
Oh Obama, you have a lot to fix.
But why is my generation in the Middle East hopeful about Obama?
Though some might think that people in the Middle East support Obama because of his skin color or because he was born a Muslim but this is not the case. On the contrary, people here respect Obama because of his values, the values of the founding fathers of America. People respect him because of his character.
Our generation is hopeful that the democracy, freedom of speech, expression and the right for a decent life will prevail in the Middle East. Our people respect the American people but differ with the American government. We have seen years and years of double standards towards our issues that were blindly neglected by the previous Presidents of the US. We are fed up with the US government that keeps supporting our illegitimate regimes on the basis of protecting US interests in the Gulf and the region. The Palestinian question is the most important and vital issue for Arab Muslims and Christians and we are fed with the double standards the US government have with the Israelis, while ignoring our rights for Peace and self determination.
We want a President that will push to implement the Peace Process between the Israelis and Palestinians. We want a President who will build bridges and understanding between the Muslim world and America, and on the basis of mutual benefits and respect. The world has been deeply hurt and separated by the 9/11 tragedy, and it is about time we come together to understand our differences. We want an Obama who will find Bin Laden, talk to Iran & Hamas, end the occupation in Iraq & Afghanistan, and close Guantanamo Bay. We want an Obama who will improve the economy that is making our economies suffer as well.
The path will not be easy, and Obama will find tough opponents in The Capital & DC. He will face heat from AIPAC & corporate America. But rest assures that many people are behind Obama, including my people in the Middle East. So let’s all work together to make this happen, because a journey of a thousand miles requires a single step. The change is coming!
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“The Palestinian question is the most important and vital issue for Arab Muslims and Christians and we are fed with the double standards the US government have with the Israelis, while ignoring our rights for Peace and self determination.”
Given that Obama has just appointed George Mitchell, who sucessfully helped bring peace to Northern Ireland (and also happens to be part Lebanese) as his Middle East envoy, I do believe things will start to change with how the United States treats Israel and Palestine.
Greg, thanks for leaving a comment. I think Obama is moving fast and is all self confidence. He is gaining alot of positive vibes in the Middle East. The first interview for him was with Al Arabiyah Arabic Netwrok, and he frankly spoke to Muslims and Arabs and the Paleatinian question. Straight to the point. We all have high hopes for this man. I just wish Arab Leadership will not let him down, after all what we have here is illegitmate dictatorship, a few dying leaders and others who are not clear
Ali
Yes I must largely agree…. America under this new administration has a must better chance of changing the middle east, modeling it much more like the “New America”. I think Obama will use the same tactics as ihe did here , where he was able to skilfully divide and conqueror. Obama is a “cool guy” he has a lot of control over the media (Hollywood), It seems likely that if we in America can rebuild our wealth and continue to expand our military and law in the Middle east, that we will control most of it within a few years. Take note: in order for our crusade to be effective we must all work in unity even when it defines common logic. It would seem that Obama has rid America of religion and tradition in just a few months but he still has much work to accomplish here as well as aboard.
GR