World

Obama to deliver speech to Muslim world: Report

President to make case that bin Laden's death underscores the view of al Qaeda being a spent force in Muslim world.

Afp May 11, 2011

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama will deliver a speech reaching out to the Muslim world, in the aftermath of the killing of Osama bin Laden and amid ongoing unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Obama is preparing a wide-ranging address to be delivered as early as next week in which he'll make the case that bin Laden's death, paired with popular uprisings sweeping the region, underscores the US view that the al Qaeda extremist group is a spent force in the Muslim world.

Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser at the White House, told the newspaper that the speech was likely to be delivered before Obama departs on a five-day trip to Europe on May 23 – not quite three weeks after bin Laden's demise in a US commando raid in Pakistan.

"It's an interesting coincidence of timing – that he is killed at the same time that you have a model emerging in the region of change that is completely the opposite of bin Laden's model," Rhodes told the newspaper.

Officials said that the president will make the case that bin Laden represented a failed approach of the past while populist movements brewing in the Middle East and North Africa represent the future.

The president has stressed outreach to Muslims during his tenure in the White House, and plans to describe the Islamic world as at a crossroads, US officials told the Journal.

The speech comes at a time of great tumult throughout the Muslim world, with popular uprisings overthrowing longtime dictators in Tunisia and Egypt, and unrest threatening governments in Libya, Bahrain, Syria, Yemen and Jordan.

COMMENTS (2)

Ahmer Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Assalam-o-Allaikum Warahmatullah.As usual the greatest meanness and effrontery shall be displayed by Obama and the muslims once again shall be announced the terrorists and brutal Indian,Israeli and US forces shall never be discussed which are killing innocent people on the name of fake terrorism.

Muslim World | 13 years ago | Reply Script of US President Barack Obama will speech to the Muslim world, . This war is not against Islam nor is against Muslims, but half a million people we have killed happens to be Muslims and the countries we destroyed in the process were Muslim countries. This war was legitimized by the UN Security consul. It is a misfortune that no Muslim Country is part of the UN Security Consul. It is also just by accident that the security consul resolutions pertaining to Kashmir and Palestine cannot be implemented by sheer bad luck and those related to attack on Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor Sahara and scores of others Muslim’s interest are implementable by chance. We helped people of Egypt to fight against our discarded friend. We are raising and arming militia in Libya to fight for their liberties. We don’t want civil war in Libya nor does we want to see its destruction, but if it happens, it will be good for the world. Now look at Pakistan. We gave them 10 Billion $$$ and it is saying that they lost 30000 thousand civilians and 5000 troops in this war on terrorism. We under stand that Pakistan has suffered, but they need to under stand that that it is their turn now. We are not against Muslims, but what can we do, if they sit in areas where our bombs fall.

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