Tag Archives: Islam

Justice in Cambodia / A Storm Watch in Haiti / The Shahnameh

Posted on by

During a visit to Cambodia, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls for justice. Preparing for his own trip to Asia, President Obama will focus on the economy at the upcoming G20 Summit and APEC Forum. In Haiti, aid workers prepare for a tropical storm. Find out what Islam teaches about protecting the planet. And finally, a 1,000-year-old book commissioned by Iranian kings is now on display at the Smithsonian.

Seeking Justice in Cambodia
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urges Cambodian leaders to confront their country’s troubled past by bringing to justice Khmer Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity in the 1970s. Clinton’s visit to Cambodia is part of her 13-day trip to meet with leaders of at least eight East Asian and Pacific nations. At right, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong greets Secretary Clinton at the Phnom Penh Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


Economy the Issue at APEC, G20
Fostering global economic growth through the Group of 20 (G20) advanced economies is fundamental to a lasting recovery at home, says a senior Obama administration official. The economy figures strongly into President Obama’s four-nation Asian trip that includes stops in India and Indonesia before the G20 in South Korea and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Japan.

Haiti’s Tropical Storm Watch
The U.S. Agency for International Development has 20 members of its Disaster Assistance Response Team in Haiti to help prepare the country for Tropical Storm Tomas, which could hit the island this week.

Islam and the Environment
Ibrahim Abdul-Matin was recently in Washington to talk about his upcoming book, Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet. Abdul-Matin says his book is written not only with the Muslim reader in mind, but for anyone interested in learning more about Islam’s connection to the environment.

Photo Gallery: The Art of the Shahnameh
The Poet Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh combines myth and history in the epic tale of a nation. The Smithsonian Institution’s Sackler Gallery in Washington, D.C. is celebrating the book’s 1,000th anniversary by showing illustrations from grand editions commissioned by kings of Iran. At left, after a journey to the end of the world, Alexander (an important figure in the Shahnameh, known to others as Alexander the Great), encounters a talking tree that foretells his death. Explore this photo gallery featuring other such images from the Shahnameh.

Mubarak visits White House

Posted on by

President Obama met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak today to “publicly thank him for the extraordinary hospitality that he showed us when I traveled to Egypt and delivered my speech at Cairo University,” Obama said.

During that June speech, Obama spoke of a “new beginning” between the United States and the Muslim world. “The importance of the Cairo visit was very appreciated by the Muslim and Islamic world, because the Islamic world had thought that the U.S. was against Islam, but [Obama’s] great, fantastic address there has removed all those doubts,” Mubarak said through a translator.

The leaders discussed the situations in Iran and Iraq, the Arab-Israeli conflict and economic development, among other topics. While they can cooperate on many projects, Obama acknowledged that there are areas of disagreement.

“There are some areas where we still have disagreements, and where we do have disagreements we have a frank and honest exchange,” Obama said.

What do you think of the leaders’ comments? Did Obama’s speech remove doubt about relations between the United States and Islam? Can these nations have a frank and honest exchange over issues on which they disagree?

Day 76: United States not at war with Islam, President Obama tells Turkey

Posted on by

Obama at Turkish Parliament

The Turkish press and many of that country’s people are eagerly following every step of the U.S. president’s trip to this predominately Muslim nation. The Hurriyet English newspaper’s special section on the president’s trip covers everything from Obama’s policy speeches to how the president’s security detail means traffic headaches for local citizens.

Media worldwide covered the speech Obama gave today to the Turkish parliament, in which he declared, “Let me say this as clearly as I can: The United States is not at war with Islam.”

“In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject,” the president said.

America’s relationship with the Muslim world is not just about building opposition to al-Qaida, Obama said. “We seek broad engagement based upon mutual interests and mutual respect. We will listen carefully, bridge misunderstanding, and seek common ground.”

The president also spoke of how the United States has been enriched by the contributions of Muslim Americans. “Many other Americans have Muslims in their family, or have lived in a Muslim-majority country – I know, because I am one of them,” he said.

Turkey is the president’s final stop on his first major international tour. How would you rate his performance abroad?