Egypt's Mubarak says Obama has new approach to Islam

Egypt's Mubarak says Obama has new approach to Islam
Thursday, June 11, 2009 6:55 AM

CAIRO (Reuters) - Barack Obama has presented a fresh understanding of Islam not shown by predecessors, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in his first interview since the U.S. president addressed the Muslim world from Cairo.

Obama called for a "new beginning" in ties between the United States and Muslims, many of whom felt targeted by the "war against terror" launched by former President George W. Bush after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and his wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"Under the past administration, there was a feeling that the Islamic world was a group of terrorists, Islam was hated and Muslims should be watched, and that the previous administration was scared of any Muslim," Mubarak said.

"But Obama came and said we will not fight Muslims and Islam. He is a sympathetic man, and says the United States will not fight Islam because Islam is a heavenly religion," he told state television in an interview broadcast late Wednesday.

Obama told Muslims in his June 4 speech that violent extremists had exploited tensions between Muslims and the West and that Islam was not part of the problem.

His speech was welcomed by many Muslims, though some said they wanted him to spell out specific actions to resolve long-running problems like the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Mubarak said he discussed the Palestinian issue with the U.S. president after telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on a visit to Egypt prior to Obama's, that Israel needed to stop building settlements.

"Obama understands this issue well," Mubarak said.

"Obama wants to solve the issue (of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict) and wants to do something, but we must help him on how to solve it ... and the Israelis must help him."

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/11/AR2009061101068_pf.html

The audacity of Obama saying Islam is one of the heavenly religions! Those conservative Christians will tell you that only Christianity is a heavenly religion--and only THEIR version.

But meanwhile the rest of the world is breathing a sigh of relief--a sane person is back in the White House.

I applaud the application of reason to what has to feel like a superhuman effort to bring peace through peaceful efforts of diplomacy and constructive cooperation. Trying to bring peace through violence simply doesn't work in the long run. It actually perpetuates the war endlessly in protracted retaliatory action.

But he may have said one of the great religions. I would dispute that as a true statement but it is their opinion. It would be more correct to say that they are one of the major religions.