'WalaikumAssalaam': Indian muslims to Obama

MUMBAI: President Barack Obama's "new beginning'' seems to have sown seeds of hope among large sections of the Muslim community in India going rom initial reactions to his much-awaited speech to the Islamic world. Opening with the traditional greeting of `Assalaamu Alaykum', Obama made several references to Quranic verses and spoke both articulately and with feeling, and referred to the conflict-torn areas of Israel, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The American Centre in Mumbai organised a post-speech discussion of Muslim scholars, clerics and lay Muslims. The collective sentiment seemed to be that Indian Muslims should cooperate to isolate the extremist fringe and promote peace.

Urdu commentator Hasan Kamal, who led the discussion, sounded quite overwhelmed when he said, "I have heard and read speeches of many world leaders. But I can honestly say that I have never heard anything like this before. I listened to Obama as a Muslim, and must say that he has given the Muslims and the world a new hope.''

Many were touched by Obama's "Assalaamu Alaykum'' and his quoting from the holy book. "By quoting the Quran in the right context, Obama has reiterated that Islam stands for peace and reconciliation. He reminded the Muslims of the Quranic commandment about being truthful when he quoted `be conscious of God and always speak the truth','' said Zeenat Shaukat Ali who teaches Islamic Studies at St Xavier's College. She was also happy at the way in which Obama upheld the rights of women and women's educations. The American president said he had no problem with the hijab but did have a problem with a woman being denied the right to education andequality.

Even the orthodox section welcomed Obama's effort to debunk the "crude stereotypes' ' that the community has been labelled with.

"His speech will help reduce hostility between the USA and the Islamic world. It will open a new chapter of reconciliation between the largely aggrieved Muslim world and the West,'' said Qasim Rasool Illyas of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, an influential Muslim body. Illyas also lauded the venue of the speech. "Cairo, with its rich Islamic roots and its two major institutions which co-sponsored the address-Islamic seminary Al-Azhar and Cairo University-was the right platform to reach out to Muslims. Muslims must welcome it,'' he said.

The most widely appreciated point in the speech was the roadmap to solve the festering Palestine-Israel conflict. Prof Mushirul Hasan, historian and vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, called it a "laudable initiative'' . "He has openly talked of Palestine's genuine right of being a separate nation and Israel's right to exist. This is the best possible speech one could have expected from him,'' said Hasan.