Society of Australasian Social Psychologists

ENGAGING THE ISLAMIC COMMUNITY – IS OBAMA THE MAN TO CROSS THE FAULT LINE?

President Obama has declared an end to the “War on Terror.”  That phrase has been expunged from the official rhetoric.  Expunged too the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay and some smaller clandestine prisons elsewhere around the globe.  No interrogation techniques will be tolerated that approach torture.

To the Muslim world generally he said in Istanbul last week: “America’s relationship with the Muslim community, the Muslim world, cannot and will not be based upon opposition to terrorism.  We seek broader engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect.  We will listen carefully, we will bridge misunderstandings, and we will seek common ground.  We will be respectful, even when we do not agree.  We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world – including in our own country.  The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans.  Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim majority country – I know because I am one of them”.

Whatever power there is in the spoken and written word, Obama’s presidency seeks to supercharge it.