Holy War

President Barack Obama's recent speech at Cairo University in Egypt has garnered worldwide attention and has stirred controversy. The emergence of an alleged Bin Laden taped message, and the condemning of Obama's visit by Al-Qaeda's second in command Ayman al-Zawahiri, was filled with rhetoric implicating the world as being in the midst of a "Holy War" -

"The White House declared that Obama will send a message from Egypt to the Islamic world but they forget that his messages were already received when he visited the Western Wall and wore the Jewish yarmulke and when he prayed their prayers"

"..his administration continued to reject the appliance of the Geneva Conventions regarding Muslim prisoners in the crusade war against Islam that they call the war on terror."

"he is walking the same road of his predecessors to build enmity against Muslims and increasing the number of fighters, and establishing more lasting wars."

In order to counter the extremist Islamic views of Al Qaeda, Obama gave a calculated, well-crafted, and overall great speech. Obama's oratorical abilities are an important component of his policy to sway the Islamic opinion of the west to a more favorable one. While actions speak much louder than words - we cannot underestimate the power of oratory in influencing the minds of people. Few key quotes from the speech -

"I consider it part of my responsibility, as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear, but that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America. Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire."

"America is not and never will be at war with Islam."

"What is also true is that in the wake of 9/11, in a whole host of our actions and sometimes in our words, America has not been as careful to distinguish our very real need to hunt down extremists who would do us harm, from broader policy or cultural differences that are best approached through diplomacy and conversation and some self-reflection on our part."

"Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel’s right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine’s. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop."

It was extremely imperative for Obama to emphasize sympathy for the Palestinian cause, and the non-existence of a battle against Islamic ideals. Deep-rooted tensions between Islam and the west, and jihadist rhetoric have long been the recruitment tools of violent, extremist, Muslim demagogues such as al-Zawahiri and Bin Laden. Our policies toward the Middle East should be the reflection of an effort to curtail the viability of these very important tools in the war that extremists are waging against America. Obama's speech - while it may not have provided resolutions - was a critical first step in the process.

However, neo-conservative ideology that led to the Iraq War and guided the War on Terror, which in turn fueled the fire of the concept of Holy War; the subsequent backlash from the Islamic community and the rise of extremism, combined with the escalating tension of the Israel - Palestianian conflict has led me to the question... Are we truly in the midst of a modern-day crusades? Will history view the wars fought today as Holy War, regardless of the effort to diminish that viewpoint in the present?
It is truly a legitimate query.. and only time will tell..

..What do you think?