"He has the merits which can energise young Muslims..."

[mcctatas]

"As soon as Barack Obama rose to the top of the field of Democratic presidential contenders, he developed a "Muslim problem" based on false accusations that he is, or once was, a Muslim.

There is little doubt that these accusations will be raised again, however unfairly, when Obama squares off against John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, in November's election.

But if we were to assume that Obama overcomes this and other obstacles to win his historic bid for the White House, a far more serious Muslim problem awaits "President" Obama: A majority of the world's 1.4 billion Muslims have an utter lack of trust in the US.

Senator Obama's experience of living in a Muslim country (Indonesia, where he attended school during his childhood), along with his relative youthfulness and message of hope, have the potential to heal this rift, however.

He has the merits which can energise young Muslims in the same way he has inspired millions of young Americans."

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/uselections2008/2008/06/20086245442531762.html


Interesting article by Mark Levine, Middle East historian

[babylonsister]

1. He's already energizing young Muslims, and I think this is great:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=6398857

Muslim World Speaks Out on Obama
By YASSER KHALIL
Published: June 18, 2008


CAIRO -- U.S. Senator Barack Obama represents a phenomenon that has drawn global attention and captivated the minds of Muslims around the world as he wages a spirited campaign to become the next president of the United States. In spite of the campaign's heated debate and some controversial rhetoric regarding Islam, large segments of Muslims remain fascinated with the election and have become big fans of Obama.

This level of support for an American presidential candidate is unprecedented in the Muslim world. The fact that it comes amidst an almost unanimous feeling of indignation and rage towards U.S. foreign policy – particularly in Iraq and Palestine – makes it even more noteworthy.

The simple explanation is that many Muslims see new reason for hope in the political approach of Obama and his advisors. His apparent eagerness to rally more international support for U.S. policy, and even talk to America's "enemies," is cause for optimism. Imagine what global politics might look like in Iraq, or Sudan, or Afghanistan, if Obama-like vision had influenced U.S. leadership earlier.

As an Arab Muslim in Egypt who is affected by U.S. foreign policy, I believe an Obama approach may help solve the accumulated problems between Muslims and the United States that have become more aggravated since the Sept, 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

New and more creative techniques for dealing with extremists instead of the controversial methods used by the current U.S. administration could also stop giving al-Qaida and other such groups the pretext for recruiting new members. Then, perhaps, extremists would lose the arguments that fuel their criminal machine and lead them to destroy innocent people.

more...

http://www.metimes.com/Opinion/2008/06/18/muslim_world_... /

Yasser Khalil is an Egyptian researcher and journalist. This article, translated from Arabic, was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and originally appeared in the Christian Science Monitor.

[mcctatas]

2. Guess it's just you and me...

:shrug:

I suppose I should have led with a dem-bashing thread title, then maybe people would be interested;)

[Kool Kitty]

3. Kicked and rec'd.

[loyalsister]

4. I think mutual understanding between countries will change

The leaders of Indonesia, Canda, Kenya, and I believe somewhere in S. America will know that our president has a genetic investment in their country. It will completely change the way they approach one another.
Imagine that! When we think about foreign policy, it's one thing to sit back from this distance as a compassionate person not truly knowing people.
Quite another to actually have family members to consider.
I'm sure there are DUers in that situation. People who have family members in the military in particular.
Even though Obama's life circumstances are different, I think he has a unique and valuable advantage there. I think it allows him to relate to people who have family members in the military.