Live from the Capital of the Freed World

I rushed to my office in downtown Washington, but a few long blocks from the Capitol to share with you the wonderous experience of witnessing first-hand the inauguration of President Obama. Having stood within but a few hundred yards from the inaugural stand for hours surrounded by thousands at the foot of the Capitol, we could hear Obama's words, but like many hundreds of thousands standing shoulder to shoulder across Washington, we had to rely on the "jumbotron" TV screens that dotted the grassy areas on either side of the stands to watch the ceremony unfold.

But that did not matter. What mattered most was being surrounded by so many of my fellow Americans, who with tears in their eyes and joyous cries of "OBAMA" as he ended his oath of office with the words "...so help me God" hugged and kissed and laughed and cried.

I have not read Obama's Inaugural Address yet. But as his words swept across the sea of people before him which stretched mile upon mile as far as the eye could see down the Mall past the Washington Monument, my thoughts drifted across continents wondering how his Inaugural Address would play on the world stage. Would his words inspire and reassure? Would his words lay a durable foundation for the reemergence of a respected America abroad?

Time will tell.

But I am truly certain that as I stood there, his speech captured the essence of what ails and what inspires Americans as we face the challenges now under his guiding hand.

One sentence, in particular, stayed with me as the crowds began to scatter.

With an outstretched hand, President Obama addressed the Muslim world when he said "....we seek a new way forward based on mutual interest and mutual respect." Here Obama twiced used the word "mutual," which was not by accident.

His call is intended to inspire both Americans and Muslims to jointly examine what divides our worlds, the policies that sow discord, but also that which binds us together: our common humanity and our mutual desire fo build a better life for our children and the world they will inherit. I wholeheartedly applaud our president for recognizing the centrality of that mission and the urgency of that task. I hope that Muslims will be inspired as well by the challenge that President Obama has placed before them, as squarely as he has placed that challenge before his own nation.

There are so many issues that divide our two worlds...policies over Palestine and Israel, the perceived weakness of America's word, the misunderstandings and miscommunications over our struggled against Bin Laden and America's indifference to the aspirations of Muslim youth, not to mention the perception that Muslims are indifferent to the apprehensions Americans feel about their politics and hostility to western values, Israel's right to exist, etc. etc. The list of perceived and actual inflictions seems, at times, almost insurmountable, but under Obama, I am convinced they will no longer be.

One things is certain. Obama's commitment is not merely and inaugural flourish. In his semi-autobiography, The Audacity of Hope, Obama committed himself to rebuild America's reputation in the Muslim world. At a time when the gulf between our two worlds seems unbridgeable, he has clearly committed his administration to the cause of better coexistence, but not at the expense of America's security or its own values.

How will this happen? And from whence will come the outstretched arm from the Muslim world? Don't quite know yet. I know for certain that even before his inauguration, President Obama's staff were beginning to put the final touches on a new and innovative policy approach.

But pehaps what transpired at noon in our Capital today at the foot of the Capitol Hill, will encourage Muslims and their leaders to begin exploring what is in their own tool chest to help rebuild those bridges, as we surely must do here at home in the weeks and months ahead to find what we must do identify our mutual interests in order to regain our mutual respect.

Comments

[canarypapers]

I, too, heard Obama's words loud and clear: "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect."

Let's be honest. We in America have been poisoned over the past 8 years to fear Muslims. We have been systematically indoctinated toward the belief that Muslim = terrorist. Demonizing Muslims has been part and parcel of America's foreign policy for decades, but with a special vengence during the Bush-Cheney years.

This is one reason I started to grow impatient yesterday over all the post-inaugural "to-do" over the shattering of racial barriers in this country through the election of our first African-American president. Whatever barriers have been broken between blacks and whites in this country have been more than replaced by the new barriers erected between Muslims and non-Muslims. As a non-Muslim white person who, to my knowledge, has probably never even met a Muslim, I am profoundly bitter that I, myself, have fallen prey to the Bush-Cheney propaganda, which has left me in an intellectual struggle against an irrational fear of over 20% of the world's population.

Yes, the time for MUTUAL respect is long overdue. As trangressors in this relationship, America needs to clean house -- on both an individual and foreign policy basis. Because, fact is, so long as America seeks to unlawfully seize control of other country's resources (e.g. oil) it wil be necessary to demonize the rightful owners of said property.

[red sea rose]

Arab and Muslim Americans are coming out of a dark place, the shadow of 9/11 even causes suspicion amongst some Americans that our President is a secret Muslim. Right wing nuts and evangelicals will do their best to undermine us, and they had a lot of clout over the past eight years, but, with a president whose middle name is Hussein we too are liberated. We have been freed.

[ConradMazian]

Whoever titled this article must have had a bit too much Inauguration Cheer. Washington is not the Capital of the "Free World".

That said, I loved President Obama's speech. He's an excellent public speaker, and while I don't know that he wrote the entire speech, it sounds like other things I have heard him say over the years, and should inspire the citizens of the USA to do the things that need to be done to clean up the United States.

Congratulations President Obama, for a well fought campaign, and a wonderful start to your term in office. I wish you well.

[BurtR]

the title is "capital of the freed world" meaning that the world has been freed from the policies of Bush and the neocons.

[red sea rose]

I too was encouraged by those words, weepy really, and at that point in the speech got a text from my Arab father in the Middle East saying "we are all liberated". I think the message will get through.

[girlwild]

One should remember that the Christians, Jews, and Muslims are all descended from Abraham.

[canarypapers]

Better still, one should remember that our country was built on a foundation of the separation of church and state, which means that policies designed to favor or disfavor any group based on the supposed merit (or lack thereof) of their religion is a violation of what we stand for, as a country. Such cogitations belong in the realm of theologians -- not presidents, lawmakers, foreign policy leaders, or candidates for these offices.

In other words, America needs to restore the blindfold on Lady Justice -- and on all national matters of moral, ethical and legal import -- so that we may return to the original ideals of fair and equal treatment of all Americans AND all world citizens, with not a mote of consideration given to their religion.

Our leaders' demonization of Muslims has severely eroded our integrity as a nation. So has the political deference paid to *Christian* politicians (think: evangelicals, such as Sarah Palin) whose self-proclaimed moral superiority is designed to do nothing but put the fear of God into Christians, while demonizing non-Christians, so that the Christian agenda can be integrated into America's domestic and foreign policy (think: end-times prophesy and Israel).

[Asean4Obama]

I think the speech that President Obama gave to the world will be well received in the Islamic world too. By the Islamic world I mean muslims in general and it doesn't needs to be Muslims from the Middle East.

As Amb. Ginsberg may know Muslims' are in general forgiving people and we judged Bush & Co but not the new administration. Besides before Bush we had some good years with President Clinton.

What makes me worried only is the day the Republicans come back in power, on that day the bridges Obama has build and earned will be destroyed over night, however for the time being I will just enjoy the new dawn in America for as long it last, hopefully for 8, 16 or 24 years.

Asean4Obama
http://www.asinah.net/

PS: Amb. Ginsberg, I enjoy your postings very much.

[timezone]

I appreciated your thoughtful insights regarding taking a new step forward toward m u t u a l understanding and respect!

[oxi]

If Obama is to earn respect he should:

Stop the ABM base in Poland and work with Russia and not punish them simply because they are the world's largest oil and gas producer.

Admit Iraq was for cheap oil.

Admit Afghanistan was to build U.S. bases in Central Asia to keep an eye on Russia and build the massive $7.5 billion TAPI oil pipeline.

Admit Serbia 1999 was for the AMBO oil pipeline.

Admit recognition of an independent Kosovo was merely punishment for Serbia signing onto the South Stream oil pipeline with Russia. Just ask Prodi in Italy and why he was all of a sudden removed from office.

Admit Georgia started the war under U.S. orders to convince the Polish just days later to build the ABM base to counter Russia.

These are facts and all Obama has to do is admit to them!

[canarypapers]

Amen, amen, amen. Demonizing Muslims and other cultures and world leaders (who happen to live in oil-rich countries) has been part and parcel of our foreign policy for decades. We need a paradigm shift from this geopolitical mode of imperialism.

I, too, am hoping that Obama will also build bridges between the facts and the myth, the latter being a by-product of so many years of propaganda -- all designed to conceal the true nature of our foreign policy interests (oil, pipelines and mineral rights). Facts are facts: warring against people to gain control of their oil is not only wrong, it's criminal. It's time we stop lying to conceal the disgrace of our actions. It's time we stop overthrowing other governments, going to wars, and otherwise oppressing & brutalizing people around the world for King Oil.

The truths about our foreign policy have become crystal-clear to so many in America and the international community, that perpetuating these lies for one day longer will only deepen the existing injuries and shatter the trust Obama has been given.

I think that, when Obama mentions in the same sentence, the words "world peace" and "ending our dependence on foreign oil," he is talking about this very truth.

On this, I am (albeit with bated breath) truly hopeful.

[plugger]

Americans and Muslims??? Muhammed Ali and Keith Ellison will be surprised their citizenship has been revoked

[FCBarca]

Question is, will he actually foster change or will it be politics as usual in DC with Obama?....­Will he actually foment the change that has been desperately needed with respect to righting the human tragedy in Palestine or simply tow the typical DC line with AIPAC & Israel?

[bakersdozen]

I understand the point you make, but I think Marc meant to suggest that we are "freed" of the wretched Bush, at least in the broadest sense. Certainly, we'll be cleaning up his catastrophic mess for a very long time, but at least the reins of power are now out of his blood-soaked hands.

[MurrayAbraham]

The diplomat you are should know that words matter.

Washington is merely the capital of the United States. Not less, but not more.

By definition, free peoples have their own capitals and leaders. Just because we suddenly want to talk to the world again doesn't mean they are ready to listen, we are going to have to earn their respect back.

[overd0g1]

We have to "earn" their respect? You've got to be kidding.

[Amb. Marc Ginsberg - Huffpost Blogger]

Oh Please!...­I was merely using journalistic license to reference our collective liberation from the Bush era. Marc

[bosse]

We already have the attention of the WORLD, as we have shown courage to elect a great wise man as our leader, and I am sure he will stand up to the demands and prove his mettle, with a little help from our lazy self importanrt Senators and defeated republicans. I hope they will rtealise thier help is very mportant and urgent, and I sure hope there are also good people among them Thanks OBAMA, I hope and pray for your success, thus our success, and leadership of the rest of human kind

[appleknocker]

'[B]oth Americans and Muslims"? These are two mutually exclusive groups?

[Amb. Marc Ginsberg - Huffpost Blogger]

My choice of words was not to suggest that Americans and muslims are mutually exclusive.­..but that President Obama's message was to the Muslim world....t­hose were his words. Mac

[susumar]

I believe that Americans and Muslims are not mutually exclusive.