4a1ce5d7d2188210VgnVCM200000e66411acRCRDapproved/thenational/Articles/Migration/2009-Q2America changed … and so must the Muslim world3a1ce5d7d2188210VgnVCM200000e66411ac____This is the speech I hope Barack Obama delivers in Cairo today… I am privileged to be here today, in the capital of a country that was one of the cradles of human civilisation.<p>This is the speech I hope Barack Obama delivers in Cairo today… I am privileged to be here today, in the capital of a country that was one of the cradles of human civilisation. The monument to the father of our nation, George Washington, was designed to emulate an Egyptian obelisk. Its designers recognised - as do I - the immense contribution this country and this region have made to the world.</p> <p>I come here as a friend and friends speak frankly to one another. We have had some dark years, years when the trust that binds us has been strained, when misconceptions have grown up between us, and the face of America - the America I know - has been obscured. I have said before that America is not an enemy of the Muslim world. And most Americans understand that Islam is not their enemy. The new way forward that I have come here to seek is based on our shared ideals and beliefs, not on political convenience. In future, by deeds we will match our words. We expect our friends to do the same.</p> <p>On Iraq, I know many of you are looking for an apology. That war has made the whole region and America less secure. It has cost too many lives. It has bred extremism, fostered instability and created barriers between us. But we are determined to fix what we have begun. A great nation deserves the truth, which is why next week I am releasing all photos and documents associated with our investigation into prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. I will also ask an independent panel to investigate practices at Guantanamo Bay, with the power to question former government officials. And I am closing all secret prisons around the world and publishing details of those who were detained there, including details of the involvement of foreign governments.</p> <p>We have failed to live up to our own ideals. For that, for Guantanamo, for the abuses at Abu Ghraib, for all those who died, I am truly sorry. But we cannot apologise for who we are. America is a country of law and of rights, and as we have changed, so you too must change. The call for change, for greater freedom, is echoing through the Muslim world. You can hear it in this very capital. And it can no longer be ignored. We will no longer overlook human rights abuses in foreign countries, even if they are run by our friends. Governments who jail people without trial, who deny basic human rights, who seek to maintain their power through control of dissent, will no longer find America turning a blind eye.</p> <p>As you will judge us on our deeds, not our words, so will we judge you. There is a perception that my country has often acted unfairly; that, because of the power of our arms and the range of our interests, we have at times been an unsteady ally. To some degree that is true. But it is not a one-way street. Many leaders, near and far, have been equally unsteady, failing to act when needed, pursuing unhelpful policies, supporting those who espouse violence, or blaming the West while accepting aid.</p> <p>From now on, US financial and military aid will be contingent on movement towards reform. For too long, the dollars we have offered as carrots have been used as sticks against your own people. Countries who terrorise their citizens or their neighbours will no longer be rewarded with weapons. As we have tried to take a transparent approach to government spending at home, so will we do so abroad: from today, the billions of dollars in aid given to the region's capitals will be itemised and published online.</p> <p>On Israel and Palestine, we support a two-state solution. Our goal is a unified Palestine, without external interference from any country in the region. In the past we have been uneven in applying political pressure, allowing politics to trump justice. No more. We will ask Israel to adhere to its commitments under the road map and its obligations under international law. We will make funding contingent on progress. We will watch carefully the UN inquiry into the recent violence in Gaza, and will strongly push for prosecutions against anyone - from either side of the conflict - who violated international law.</p> <p>Yet our relationship with the Muslim world is not the sum of one conflict or one political era. It is enduring. We must face immense challenges together. The spread of nuclear weapons threatens all of us, both your people and our cities. We will apply political pressure to India, Pakistan and Israel and ask them to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and begin to dismantle their nuclear arsenals. And we will work closely with Iran and its neighbours to reduce the possibility of further nuclear weapons entering the region.</p> <p>We have much to do and our time to act is short. I do not have the luxury of knowing whether I will still be president in five years. Some in the region do. To those leaders still ruling after decades in power, I say, let go. A new generation awaits. It is this generation I want to end by speaking about. This is a young country: a third of Egyptians are not yet 16. That is the case across the Arab and Islamic worlds. Like young people everywhere, they aspire to live in security and choose their own paths. It is no longer credible to deny that the freedom deficit has impacted your societies. The legacy of outside interference has played its part, I admit - but now you must play yours.</p> <p>I believe change can come to the Middle East, as it came to America. No nation is embodied by one man and my story is not the only story of America. But I would not be president without the desire of the people for a different world. It is the American people who brought change to America. It is your people who will bring change to your countries. I say to leaders across the Arab and Islamic worlds: put your faith in your people. Give your people the tools and they will build for you a great nation. Thank you.</p> <p><i>Faisal al Yafai was named best journalist at the Muslim Writers Awards in London last month</i></p> 82,230YYOPINION2009060400000020090604000000100ARhttp://adedit.ad.atl.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090604/OPINION/706039910170603991020090604100000000387c864971288210VgnVCM100000e56411ac____3a1ce5d7d2188210VgnVCM200000e66411ac____f650d6f9b5548210VgnVCM200000e66411acRCRD