But first, this part is about creating a sense of shared experiences. "But he also uses the authority of the quotation to justify being quite blunt in places. "He quotes from the Koran ( Be conscious of God and always speak the truth) before he quotes from the Bible and the Torah as a way of flattering his audience. In this opening section, the president seeks the common ground - he will leave differences until afterwards. "The key phrase here and of the whole speech is a new beginning, with mutual interest and mutual trust added for good effect. As the Holy Koran tells us: "Be conscious of God and speak always the truth." (Applause.) That is what I will try to do today - to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other to learn from each other to respect one another and to seek common ground. But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors. I know there has been a lot of publicity about this speech, but no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point. I do so recognising that change cannot happen overnight. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles - principles of justice and progress tolerance and the dignity of all human beings. I have come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. This cycle of suspicion and discord must end. So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, those who promote conflict rather than the co-operation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. All this has bred more fear and more mistrust. The attacks of 11 September 2001 and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights. Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of Muslims. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalisation led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and co-operation, but also conflict and religious wars. We meet at a time of great tension between the United States and Muslims around the world - tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. He finishes with a flourish about the future." "These are violent extremism, the Israeli/Palestinian dispute, nuclear weapons (with a reference to Iran), democracy, religious freedom, rights of women and economic development. He then considers seven issues that have to be, in his view, confronted. He starts by urging greater mutual understanding between the United States and Islam. "President Obama's speech is divided into a number of sections.
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