The Islam Speech I would have written for President Obama
If you haven’t listened to the feedback following the President’s speech at the Islamic Center in Baltimore you might not know that it fell flat with many Americans. Instead of helping to enlighten and unite the country it has further strengthened the beliefs on both sides of the topic. What could have been a useful example of interfaith dialogue fell short of my hopes and likely spurred little change.
As a longtime student of the Middle East and Islam who has many trusted Muslim friends around the world I went through a mix of emotions as I heard the president speak in Baltimore on February 3rd at an Islamic Center…
The speech below is an attempt to make all Americans feel safer. Maybe it can set us on a path of understanding that removes the causes of bigotry and unites our citizens. It also provides an idea about how to undermine the ideology of violent radical Islamists while strengthening our allies who subscribe to the protection of all human rights that the next administration could follow. I feel this speech would resonate better with America because I have been giving it for 8 months and received very pointed feedback from my audiences. All of them ask why our Presidents haven’t been talking like this…
