Controversy in Egypt about Obama's visit

The decision by American President Barack Obama to address the Muslim world from Egypt received mixed reactions Sunday from Cairo’s various political circles and human rights organizations that warned against seeing the visit as condoning the country's dismal human rights record.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs announced late Friday that Obama would visit Cairo on June 4 to deliver a speech on the relationship between the United States and Islamic countries, following up on an inaugural promise to do so and sparking debate in Egypt about the implications of his choice.

Several observers pointed to Egypt’s role in the region, as both the largest and oldest country, as explanation and said the president could not choose otherwise.

Several observers noted that Obama's choice reflected the American administration's understanding of Egypt's crucial role in the region as well as its position as a center of moderate Islam.

"The choice is dictated by the historical and geographical standing of Egypt and it being the center of Islamic civilization," Sobhi Saleh, head of the Muslim Brotherhood bloc in Egypt's lower house of Parliament, told Al Arabiya.

Saleh said that the Muslim Brotherhood welcomed Obama provided that he takes a firm stance on the Palestinian issue and patches up ties with the Muslim world.

"We call on Obama to clarify his position on the Judaisation of Jerusalem, to stop American hostility against Islamic movements, and to change the U.S. foreign policy towards Islam and Muslims," said Saleh, adding that the United States must respect the Muslim world’s distinct cultural identity.

Dr. Ayman Nour, a prominent opposition figure recently released from jail who heads al-Ghad Party, told AlArabiya that since Egypt will remain the “most important” country in the region, it was the “best place” for Obama to address the Muslim world.

We call on Obama to clarify his position on the Judaisation of Jerusalem, to stop American hostility against Islamic movements, and to change the U.S. foreign policy towards Islam and Muslims

Sobhi Saleh, Muslim Brotherhood

The fact that Egypt is secular and somewhat democratic was also a motivating factor according to observers.

"Egypt has the secularism that places it among the 21st century modern societies and the Islam that bestows upon it a central role in the Muslim world," Dr. Gamal Abdul-Gawad, head of the Center for Future Studies, told Al Arabiya.

Not only is Egypt the largest and oldest Arab country, it is the first country that made peace with Israel, an important strategic and symbolic choice, according to Khalil al-Anani, an expert with the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

“Egypt is still the main player in the region's conflict,” he told Al Arabiya, adding that it is “the only country that can push the Arab-Israel conflict forward (and it can) play a vital role in containing Iran.

Egypt has the secularism that places it among the 21st century modern societies and the Islam that bestows upon it a central role in the Muslim world

Dr. Gamal Abdul-Gawad, Center for Future Studies

Representing Islam

Home to more than 80 million people, mostly Muslims, Egypt is more representative of the Muslim world than Turkey, which though a role model, does not enjoy the same “centrality” as far as Islam is concerned, according to Abdul-Gawad.

“Turkey is a democratic, secular country ruled by an Islamic party, which makes it a role model, yet Turkey's political circumstances are exceptional and are thus not applicable in other Muslim countries,” he explained, adding that other possibilities like Jordan and Saudi Arabia would not have worked for the same reason.

"Jordan has very strong ties with the West and Saudi Arabia is an extremely conservative society. Both do not reflect the general sentiment in the Muslim world," he said, adding that the choice demonstrates an important development in the American-Egyptian relationship following the tensions rife under the Bush administration.

"Obama wants to encourage Muslim countries to turn a new page with the United States. This becomes more possible if he addresses them from the heart of the Middle East and the Arab world," said Abdul-Gawad.

Saleh, of the Muslim Brotherhood, added that the American administration has to understand that the Muslim world has its own cultural identity that it cannot just erase.

"If Obama chooses to alienate Islam or resorts in his speech to maneuvering, his visit will be met with disdain and hatred of the U.S. will increase."

In his inauguration speech in January, Obama promised to improve communication with the Muslim world and strive to improve relations with the Islamic world. Shortly thereafter he gave his first presidential interview to Al Arabiya, an Arabic satellite station and reiterated his promise to give a major speech in a Muslim capital within his first 100 days in office.

Human rights

Human rights activists were eager to distance Obama’s choice from the implication that the administration condoned Egypt’s political situation or human rights record.

“Human rights records and political reform will remain a point of contention between the two countries," said Nour."Obama will address the Muslim people from Egypt and not their governments. The United States has to engage in a dialogue with the people and not their governments."

Human rights organizations are apprehensive about Obama's approach to Egypt’s dismal human rights record, one of the worst in the world, according to Gamal Eid, head of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information.

"After we lost hope in the previous administration, we want to know whether Obama's administration will accept current human rights conditions in Egypt and the Arab world or will take a firm stance," he told Al Arabiya.

Eid said Obama’s choice of Egypt might encourage the Egyptian government to back down on its human rights violations and crack down on opposition movements.

Intervening in internal affairs

But others dismissed the idea of the U.S. intervening in democracy and human rights issues as an intervention in internal affairs.

"Egypt will never accept any interference in its internal affairs under the pretext of democracy or human rights," Alieddin Hilal, Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Party's Media Committee, told a conference Thursday at the National Center for Middle East Studies.

The Muslim Brotherhood also objected to U.S. meddling in internal affairs. "Our battle against the regime is an internal one," said Saleh, adding that Muslim Brotherhood would never accept to gain power through American intervention in Egyptian affairs.

Coptic political analyst Dr. Rafiq Habib saw the visit as a chance to ease tensions between Cairo and Washington, adding that Obama must play a difficult balancing act between wanting to keep America's allies while confirming his administration's commitment to human rights.

"I think he wants to turn a new page with the Muslim world," he told Al Arabiya. "But he hasn't yet decided what to write on this page. He doesn't want to pay for the mistakes of the previous administration nor become involved in any conflicts it brought about."

In Habib’s opinion, Obama has yet to take any steps towards changing U.S. foreign policy but wants to reiterate to the Muslim world that his approach to problem solving is diplomatic and not military based.

"He wants to clarify that his approach is based on dialogue, but he hasn't taken any steps towards changing American foreign policy. He is now setting the stage for himself, but hasn't taken any crucial decisions that reveal the stance of his administration," he explained.

The NDP’s Hilal said the tension between Egypt and the United States was basically due to differences with the Bush administration over the war on terror, its definition of terrorism and ways of combating it. Iraq and Darfur were also contentious.