Obama ’s Bold Outreach to the Muslim World
By Kaleem Kawaja
Association of Indian Muslims of America
Washington , DC
I am happy about President Obama's recent bold initiative to reach out to the 1.5 billion strong global Muslim community and 53 Muslim majority nations by appointing two young American Muslims, Rashad Hussain and Farah Pandit, as American outreach spokespersons to the global Muslim community.
This initiative was badly needed to correct the imbalance created by the mindless punitive policies of the previous Bush-Cheney Administration, which over-reacted and indiscriminately against all Muslims at home and abroad. They should have instead eliminated the rogue elements among them. At the same time they extended support to despotic kings and dictators in many a Muslim-majority country.
In today’s global village where Internet and television carry detailed images of happenings and attitudes instantly all across the planet directly into peoples’ homes, no one can wish away the other. Both the US and the Muslims need each other and hence need to work harder to reach out to each other and create strong bonds, thereby preventing the alienation that the extremists on both sides are trying to create.
The two high-level appointments of Rashad Hussain as the US envoy to the Organization of Islamic Conference – an international forum of 53 Muslim-majority countries - and Farah Pandit as US outreach coordinator to Muslims, are excellent initiatives of the Obama Administration to improve ties between the US and the Islamic world.
Rashad Hussain, a lawyer-scholar with roots in India and the US, is most suited to dispel the rather recent estrangement between US and Muslims. At only 30 years of age he has accumulated enviable intellectual capital and political acumen, while retaining strong moorings in Islam. Thus as he approaches his very difficult ‘American outreach-to-world-Muslims’ assignment, he carries much credibility. Also this initiative sends a powerful message about the important place that India’s Muslims have in the global Muslim community.
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