Obama i SAD (2008-2016)

[dallton]

vidi ove sege

Nova anketa
Arapi više vole Obamu nego Sjedinjene Države
Popularnost američkog predsjednika Baracka Obame u vodećim arapskim zemljama daleko nadmašuje onu u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama, pokazala je najnovija anketa.
Foto: ReutersPrema rezultatima istraživanja javnog mnijenja koje je proveo francuski istraživački institut Ipsos u Saudijskoj Arabiji, Ujedinjenim Arapskim Emiratima, Kuvajtu, Libanu, Egiptu i Jordanu, od ukupno 7.000 ispitanika 33 posto ih pozitivno gleda na SAD, 43 posto negativno, 14 posto neutralno, a 10 posto nema nikakav stav o tome, prenio je Reuters.

Obamu je, s druge strane, pozitivno ocijenilo 48 posto ispitanika, pri čemu je najviši rejting imao u Jordanu (58), a najniži u Egiptu (35), dok svega 10 posto anketiranih smatra da će Obama negativno uticati na njihovu zemlju, naveo je Ipsos.

Jaz između popularnosti Obame i SAD-a ukazuje na to da bi američki predsjednik mogao popraviti ugled svoje zemlje, ocijenila je agencija za istraživanje javnog mnijenja.

Bijela kuća je u petak saopćila da će se Obama 4. juna obratiti muslimanima u Egiptu ne bi li umanjio štetu koju je Sjedinjenim Državama nanijele vanjska politika njegovog prethodnika Georgea W. Busha.

Mnoge arapske i muslimanske zemlje ogorčene su zbog invazije na Irak i Afganistan, mučenja osumnjičenih za terorizam u američkoj vojnoj bazi Guantanamo na Kubi, zlostavljanja zatvorenika u Iraku i Bushove nezainteresiranosti za izraelsko-palestinski mirovni proces.

[hik--meta]

vidi ove sege

Nova anketa
Arapi više vole Obamu nego Sjedinjene Države
Popularnost američkog predsjednika Baracka Obame u vodećim arapskim zemljama daleko nadmašuje onu u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama, pokazala je najnovija anketa.
Foto: ReutersPrema rezultatima istraživanja javnog mnijenja koje je proveo francuski istraživački institut Ipsos u Saudijskoj Arabiji, Ujedinjenim Arapskim Emiratima, Kuvajtu, Libanu, Egiptu i Jordanu, od ukupno 7.000 ispitanika 33 posto ih pozitivno gleda na SAD, 43 posto negativno, 14 posto neutralno, a 10 posto nema nikakav stav o tome, prenio je Reuters.

Obamu je, s druge strane, pozitivno ocijenilo 48 posto ispitanika, pri čemu je najviši rejting imao u Jordanu (58), a najniži u Egiptu (35), dok svega 10 posto anketiranih smatra da će Obama negativno uticati na njihovu zemlju, naveo je Ipsos.

Jaz između popularnosti Obame i SAD-a ukazuje na to da bi američki predsjednik mogao popraviti ugled svoje zemlje, ocijenila je agencija za istraživanje javnog mnijenja.

Bijela kuća je u petak saopćila da će se Obama 4. juna obratiti muslimanima u Egiptu ne bi li umanjio štetu koju je Sjedinjenim Državama nanijele vanjska politika njegovog prethodnika Georgea W. Busha.

Mnoge arapske i muslimanske zemlje ogorčene su zbog invazije na Irak i Afganistan, mučenja osumnjičenih za terorizam u američkoj vojnoj bazi Guantanamo na Kubi, zlostavljanja zatvorenika u Iraku i Bushove nezainteresiranosti za izraelsko-palestinski mirovni proces.

brader muslim.
slicno tome, bas neki dan mi jedan kolega crnac rece kako su u njihovoj crkvi prosli vikend razmatrali jel huso fakat folira da je krscanin nakon skolovanja u indoneziji i dubioznog srednjeg imena. i svi su se slozili da folira, al nije bitno, kaze crn je - to je najvaznije.

[dallton]

evo jos jedne sege, ovaj put malo ozbiljnija

Obama warns Netanyahu: Don't surprise me with Iran strike
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: iran, netanyahu, Israel news

nemoj da se ja nadjem iznenadjen, jer ja kad se iznenadim, imam tendenciju da temperantno reagujem

[ahuseino]

Jah' to je ozbiljno... ko zaprijetilo dijete mami...

I da ga iznenade, samo che rechi: "niste ba trebali".

Sto nije ljaga na Obamu, nego takve su stvari, jednostavno.

[ahuseino]

vidi ove sege

Nova anketa
Arapi više vole Obamu nego Sjedinjene Države
Popularnost američkog predsjednika Baracka Obame u vodećim arapskim zemljama daleko nadmašuje onu u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama, pokazala je najnovija anketa.
Foto: ReutersPrema rezultatima istraživanja javnog mnijenja koje je proveo francuski istraživački institut Ipsos u Saudijskoj Arabiji, Ujedinjenim Arapskim Emiratima, Kuvajtu, Libanu, Egiptu i Jordanu, od ukupno 7.000 ispitanika 33 posto ih pozitivno gleda na SAD, 43 posto negativno, 14 posto neutralno, a 10 posto nema nikakav stav o tome, prenio je Reuters.

Obamu je, s druge strane, pozitivno ocijenilo 48 posto ispitanika, pri čemu je najviši rejting imao u Jordanu (58), a najniži u Egiptu (35), dok svega 10 posto anketiranih smatra da će Obama negativno uticati na njihovu zemlju, naveo je Ipsos.

Jaz između popularnosti Obame i SAD-a ukazuje na to da bi američki predsjednik mogao popraviti ugled svoje zemlje, ocijenila je agencija za istraživanje javnog mnijenja.

Bijela kuća je u petak saopćila da će se Obama 4. juna obratiti muslimanima u Egiptu ne bi li umanjio štetu koju je Sjedinjenim Državama nanijele vanjska politika njegovog prethodnika Georgea W. Busha.

Mnoge arapske i muslimanske zemlje ogorčene su zbog invazije na Irak i Afganistan, mučenja osumnjičenih za terorizam u američkoj vojnoj bazi Guantanamo na Kubi, zlostavljanja zatvorenika u Iraku i Bushove nezainteresiranosti za izraelsko-palestinski mirovni proces.

Ovo je dobro...

Al' je chovjek proklet...

Prije nekoliko godina se po svijetu govorilo "Nisu nama Ameri mrski, samo im ne valja vlast"...
Sad to morfira u ne valjaju Ameri a vlast im je u dure...

[dallton]

"nije se rodio ko je narodu ugodio" - stara austrijska poslovica iz usta VP valentina inztka

[dallton]

smijesna strana rata

Code: Select all

[size=150]Branio se od talibana u roza boksericama  Piše: AP
Boyd je stigao staviti šljem i pancirku, ali nije navukao hlače[/size]

NEW YORK - Američki vojnik Zachary Boyd (19) postao je zvijezda u medijima nakon što je krenuo u borbu protiv talibana u istočnom Afganistanu opremljen šljemom, pancirnom košuljom i u ružičastim boksericama sa sloganom “I Love NY”.

Boyd je zajedno s drugim vojnicima reagirao na talibanski napad na vojnu poziciju u planinama na istoku Afganistana. Na istome mjestu našao se i fotograf Associated Pressa.

Slika je završila na naslovnici New York Timesa. Boyd je postao instant-zvijezda, a njegovu obitelj svakodnevno opsjedaju brojne novinarske ekipe. Boydova majka kaže da je uvijek bio nemaran u oblačenju. 

kralj

[zonbirile]

evo jos jedne sege, ovaj put malo ozbiljnija

Obama warns Netanyahu: Don't surprise me with Iran strike
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: iran, netanyahu, Israel news

nemoj da se ja nadjem iznenadjen, jer ja kad se iznenadim, imam tendenciju da temperantno reagujem

--------------------------------------------------------------
moraju usaglasiti vojno i političko djelovanje,e sad što je šega,meni je cijela tema bila šega,pogotovo Miki Maus.Kako je Bo?.

[dallton]

ispovijest americkog vojnika iz iraka, veteran, bivsi kapetan, izvor huffington

Jon SoltzCo-Founder of VoteVets.org, served as a Captain in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Posted: May 18, 2009 01:59 PM BIO Become a Fan Get Email Alerts Bloggers' Index
It's Official: Bush Admin Saw Iraq As Religious War


When I signed up to serve in the United States Army, I did so because I wanted to serve my country. I wanted to - if called - put my life on the line to defend her, and all she stands for. We who served take an oath to defend this nation and its Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. As a Jew, one of the most important principles to me in our Constitution is religious freedom. Steeped in the history of colonization of America by those who were persecuted for their worship, tolerance of all religions and not putting one ahead of another, is a core principle I would die for.

Little did I know that while I was preparing to go to Iraq, the Bush administration was using Bible passages (both Old and New Testaments) on cover sheets of security reports, emblazoned on top of pictures of our armed forces. The implication was clear - this was a religious war, and our troops were fighting for the God of the Bible.

GQ has a bunch of these cover sheets, hand delivered by Donald Rumsfeld to the White House.

Again and again, security updates were adorned with bible passages. "Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith (Isaiah 26:2)." "Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His loving kindness, To Deliver their soul from death. (Psalm 33:16-19)."

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)."

Again and again, no one at the White House seemed to object and demand the practice end, as the reports with biblical quotes kept coming and coming.

We know that the Bush administration launched the war based on flimsy and false intelligence, and used torture to try to falsely link Iraq to 9/11. But, what we now know is that in the opening days of the war in Iraq, even the flimsy intelligence took a backseat to the idea that this was a Biblical fight between the forces of good (those who worship the God of the Old and New Testaments) against those who worship the God that is chronicled in the Koran.

It doesn't just offend me as a Jew that I was apparently fighting for the New Testament in the eyes of the Bush Administration. And it doesn't just offend me as an American that they thought it proper to engage our troops in what they obviously saw as a religious crusade.

As someone who still has friends over in Iraq and Afghanistan, it boils my blood to think that insurgents and terrorists now have something else to show around as "proof" that America is "fighting a war on Islam." Rumsfeld and those at the Pentagon (as well as the White House) had to know that there was a possibility that these would come out, and only exacerbate the religious and cultural misunderstandings about the United States in the region. And yet, they didn't care.

This kind of message from the top trickled down, allowing some troops to feel comfortable in presenting themselves as Holy Warriors, and expressing that in areas where that kind of message hurts more than helps. Earlier this month, it was revealed that some troops were handing out Bibles in Afghanistan, written in Pashto and Dari. A chaplain told some troops that their job was to "hunt people for Jesus."

When Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for the Presidency, he made a point of raising the photo of the grieving mother of Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan at his grave at Arlington Cemetery. Khan - a Muslim - died for this country, in Iraq. He didn't die for the Bible. He wasn't even fighting for the Bible. He wasn't "hunting people for Jesus." If anything, brave men and women like Khan should serve as examples to the Muslim world that we don't fight religious wars.

Yet, now the long arm of the Bush administration has reached from the past into the present, again. We need to investigate how widespread this notion that we were in a religious war spread, and how far it trickled down. And, most of all, the President and Secretary of Defense must make clear to our forces that it is a false notion, and any actions based on it must stop now.

mnogo se pokusavalo i na razne nacine, al se nije uspjelo u namjeri da se muslimanima na srednjim istoku dokaze da rat u iraku i afganistanu nije rat protiv islama...da li jeste ili nije, ja to ne znam, al s onakvim kretenom kakav je bus bio, ne cudi me sto su ljudi vjerovali da jeste

[zonbirile]

Bravo Khan,neka si ti poginuo nije bitno za Bibliju,ili Kuran,lova se vrti,a levati čitaju levatske bajke.
Ljudi šta je sa Monikom,ima li mjesta za nju u novoj administraciji,toliki su ostali,a ona je baš davala sve od sebe,nije fer.

[dallton]

Bravo Khan,neka si ti poginuo nije bitno za Bibliju,ili Kuran,lova se vrti,a levati čitaju levatske bajke.
Ljudi šta je sa Monikom,ima li mjesta za nju u novoj administraciji,toliki su ostali,a ona je baš davala sve od sebe,nije fer.

ti isto kao da si moralni andjeo, pa dijelis lekcije okolo - "ne valja, ne valja ono, ovi levati oni levati, monika ovako monika onako"

[zonbirile]

@dalton

ne radi se o moralu,već jednostavna tvrdnja o pajacu na koncu,čije krajeve drže veliki igrači.Radi se o 14 biliona dolara-dug je zao drug,sve ostalo je šupljak.Polako proće još vremena pa češ vidjeti da je sve rađeno da se ništa ne bi promjenilo,sem podebljanog tala kod pravih igrača.

[dallton]

@dalton

ne radi se o moralu,već jednostavna tvrdnja o pajacu na koncu,čije krajeve drže veliki igrači.Radi se o 14 biliona dolara-dug je zao drug,sve ostalo je šupljak.Polako proće još vremena pa češ vidjeti da je sve rađeno da se ništa ne bi promjenilo,sem podebljanog tala kod pravih igrača.

to ti je plitko razmisljanje - kao da mi svi ne znamo da sve stvari rade radi nekog interesa...a kako bi se drugacije radile?

[jeza u ledja]

Otprilike se stvara slika da je Bush religiozni fanatik, a da su Cheney i Rumsfeld to obilato koristili da bi napali Irak. Polako se klupko odmotava....

[jeza u ledja]

Danas je Biden dosao u Sarajevo. Zelim da se primi k znanju moja vidovitost (moj post iz oktobra prosle godine na istoj ovoj temi):

Ako se moze izdvojiti jedan senator koji se iz pocetka borio za intervenciju u BiH to je Joe Biden.
Ja sam to vec ranije rekao, ako Obama pobjedi, u naredne 4 godine ocekujem Bidenovu posjetu Sarajevu, naravno uz mnogo vec angazovanje americke diplomacije u vezi BiH. (Mada ce im trebati dosta vremena da se prvo pozabave sami sobom.)

[ahuseino]

Danas je Biden dosao u Sarajevo. Zelim da se primi k znanju moja vidovitost (moj post iz oktobra prosle godine na istoj ovoj temi):

Ako se moze izdvojiti jedan senator koji se iz pocetka borio za intervenciju u BiH to je Joe Biden.
Ja sam to vec ranije rekao, ako Obama pobjedi, u naredne 4 godine ocekujem Bidenovu posjetu Sarajevu, naravno uz mnogo vec angazovanje americke diplomacije u vezi BiH. (Mada ce im trebati dosta vremena da se prvo pozabave sami sobom.)

Pa jesi li ovo pogodio ili nisi?

4 godine nisu 4 mjeseca

[jeza u ledja]

pa eto, pise negdje da sam i ranije spomenuo.

a ja sam i dalje ubjedjen da sam negdje napisao da ce biden u prvih 6 mjeseci posjetiti SA. al eto, i ovo gore predvidjanje nije za bacit.

[zonbirile]

pa eto, pise negdje da sam i ranije spomenuo.

a ja sam i dalje ubjedjen da sam negdje napisao da ce biden u prvih 6 mjeseci posjetiti SA. al eto, i ovo gore predvidjanje nije za bacit.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
ja cijelu noć ne zaspah radi tvog proročanstva,daj imaš li još koje.Gledaš li na kuglu,ili kašike.

[jeza u ledja]

pa eto, pise negdje da sam i ranije spomenuo.

a ja sam i dalje ubjedjen da sam negdje napisao da ce biden u prvih 6 mjeseci posjetiti SA. al eto, i ovo gore predvidjanje nije za bacit.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
ja cijelu noć ne zaspah radi tvog proročanstva,daj imaš li još koje.Gledaš li na kuglu,ili kašike.

Imam, u roku ses' mjeseci Obama ce nas pozatvarati u konc. logore........a cekaj, to je bilo tvoje prorocanstvo.

[zonbirile]

mješaš me sa @Veleposlanikom,ja sam tvrdio da je Miki Maus,nekad i Paja Patak.

[dallton]

*** SPAM *** - Američki predsjednik Barack Obama ozbiljno se namjerava uhvatiti u koštac sa situacijom na Bliskom istoku, gdje više od šezdeset godina traju sukobi između Židova i Palestinaca. Ili, bolje rečeno, između Židova i Arapa.

Obzirom na to da su mu saradnici pripremili teren, a i sam je lično razgovarao sa izraelskim premijerom Netanyahuom te se ovih dana treba sastati sa palestinskim predsjednikom Abbasom, Obama je odlučio da će gordijski čvor pokušati prerezati tokom junske posjete Egiptu. Američki će se predsjednik iz Kaira obratiti svim Arapima i svim muslimanima.

Očekuju se naznake budućeg mirovnog plana koji bi trebao donijeti mir na Bliskom istoku. Obama će se založiti da se, uz nezavisni Izrael, stvori i nezavisna Palestina sa svim osobinama suverene države.

Nezavisnoj državi se još opire izraelski premijer Benjamin Netanyahu. Stoga bi za tu koncesiju Izrael trebao dobiti priznanje od svojih arapskih susjeda, što bi mu trebalo garantovati mir i sigurnost. Izrael će najvjerovatnije morati vratiti Golansku visoravan Siriji, dok će se Amerika obavezati da će suzbiti svaki pokušaj Irana da napravi atomsku bombu. Ovaj dio mirovnog procesa neće biti lako postići, ali nije nemoguće. Koplja će se, međutim, lomiti oko statusa Jeruzalema.

Sveti grad bi se trebao podijeliti na zapadni židovski i istočni palestinski. Problem je u tome što je cijeli Jeruzalem za Židove simbol njihovog identiteta i državnosti. Na drugoj strani, palestinska država bez barem polovine Jeruzalema neće zadovoljiti arapsku stranu. Stoga će biti teško naći izraelskog političara koji bi potpisao "podjelu" Jeruzalema, kao što će, uostalom, biti nemoguće naći Palestinca koji bi bio spreman potpisati sporazum, a da u njemu ne bude barem polovina Svetog grada. Barack Obama neće se susresti sa problemima samo na Bliskom istoku nego će imati problema i kod kuće.

Morat će naći zajednički jezik sa vrlo jakom židovskom zajednicom u SAD-u, koja ga je dosta jako, iako ne i bezrezervno, podržala u kampanji. Osim što je brojna, židovska zajednica je odlično organizovana te ima velik uticaj na politiku, ekonomiju i medije.

Zasad uglavnom podržavaju Obaminu politiku prema Bliskom istoku, ali nije zanemariv broj onih koji nisu "oduševljeni" najavom stvaranja palestinske države. Da neće biti lako, pokazuje i pismo čak 76 od 100 američkih senatora koji su upozorili Obamu da vodi računa o sigurnosti Izraela.

sudeci po ovoj vijesti, to obama nastoji da se obrati svim muslimanima ko papa "urbi et orbi" i (mozda) rjesi problem...vidjecemo lijepo bi bilo, al je tesko vjerovati u to

[jeza u ledja]

Ma to su price za malu djecu. Pokusavali su i mnogi prije njega, pa nista...

[zonbirile]

prođe i cirkus sa izborom,nabavio se i cuko,i sada stara uopbičajena deračina levata.Slike iz Abu Graiba se neće objaviti,jebi ga odgovornost seže do Ramsfelda ,Čejnija,Buša,a oni su ortaci tu je i Blackwater i tako dalje i tako redom.Izdvajanja za rat u Afganistanu i Iraku u blagom porastu,sve se vraća sve je već plačeno,treba pokupiti profit.

[dallton]

Hopes High for Obama's Islam Speech
Tuesday 02 June 2009

by: Paul Reynolds | Visit article original @ BBC News


(Photo: AFP)
President Obama will give what could be one of the most important speeches of his presidency on Thursday when he addresses the relationship between the United States and Muslims.

In his speech, to the University of Cairo, he will hope to break with the hostility of recent years and set a new tone designed not only to isolate the extremists of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, but to re-establish the understanding America gained on 9/11 and lost in Iraq.

And although he is not expected to go into detail about a new Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative, his words will be examined closely to see if they show signs of what many in the Muslim world hope will be a more even-handed approach than that shown by President George W Bush.

In advance of the speech, the president said in an interview with the BBC that he hoped to see progress by the end of the year, through "tough, direct diplomacy".

He has already provoked a row with the Israeli government over West Bank settlements, demanding that all activities cease. This includes what is called "natural growth", which is defined - at a minimum - as the building of more housing for the children of settlers.

This is not in fact a new demand. It was made, using the same phrase, in the 2003 roadmap for the Middle East, endorsed by the Quartet of the US, the UN, the EU and Russia.

Public Differences

The Israelis say that such growth will continue. One cabinet minister compared the restriction to the Egyptian pharaoh's demand that the first-born of the Children of Israel be "thrown into the Nile".

Israel says it is not bound by this roadmap provision unless the Palestinians fulfil their simultaneous obligation to crack down on terrorism and incitement.

The row has highlighted the fact that President Obama does seem willing to have public disagreements with Israel. That by itself will improve his standing among Muslims, even though he has not been able to get the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a freeze.

But it is a long way from delivering the two-state solution which frankly is as far away as ever.

Fostering Illusion?

The president signalled his intentions towards Muslims in a previous speech, to the Turkish parliament in April, when he declared: "The United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam."

He went on to say that the US sought a "broader engagement based on mutual trust."

Some see problems in the way he speaks about Islam as an entity and suggest that this gives ammunition to those who define Islam as a political movement as well as a religion.

Writing in The Times, Iranian journalist Amir Taheri said that this "fosters the illusion, peddled by people such as Osama Bin Laden and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that Islam is one and indivisible..."

Less Ideological

This is how the White House press secretary Robert Gibbs trailed the speech:

"The speech will outline his personal commitment to engagement, based upon mutual interests and mutual respect. He will discuss how the United States and Muslim communities around the world can bridge some of the differences that have divided them.

"He will review particular issues of concern, such as violent extremism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And he will discuss new areas for partnership going forward that serve the mutual interests of our people."

His approach is likely to be less ideological than that of George W Bush. President Bush proposed a solution for the problems of the Middle East that depended on the advance of democracy and, in the case of Iraq, on the advance of his army. "Democracies do not support terrorism," he remarked in a speech in 2004.

The neo-conservative thinkers around Mr Bush felt this worked well in Eastern Europe and that it should be able to work in the Middle East and beyond.

To those who expressed scepticism, they replied that they were laughed at for holding this view before the end of the Cold War proved them right.

Mr Obama seems to want to encourage, not impose. He told the BBC that he wanted the US to act simply as a "role model."

cudi me da ameri (koliko vole pr i marketing) ne isticu i ranije poruke americkih predsjednika muslimanima - ima jedna jako stara, 1796/`797, za vrijeme osnivanja amerike i vladavine georga washingtona (koji je i pisao dole citirani dio) - interesantno je kao historijski dokument, jer pocetak teksta negira da je amerika zasnovana na krscjanstvu kao religiji

the Treat of Tripoli was careful to stipulate that—officially speaking--Americans observed strict neutrality in matters of religion.

Article Eleven of the Treaty of Tripoli states that, “As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”

[dallton]

CAIRO – Quoting from the Quran for emphasis, President Barack Obama called for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims" Thursday and said together, they could confront violent extremism across the globe and advance the timeless search for peace in the Middle East.

"This cycle of suspicion and discord must end," Obama said in a widely anticipated speech in one of the world's largest Muslim countries, an address designed to reframe relations after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

The White House said Obama's speech contained no new policy proposals on the Middle East. He said American ties with Israel are unbreakable, yet issued a firm, evenhanded call to the Jewish state and Palestinians alike to live up to their international obligations.

In a gesture to the Islamic world, Obama conceded at the beginning of his remarks that tension "has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations."

"And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear," said the president, who recalled hearing prayer calls of "azaan" at dawn and dusk while living in Indonesia as a boy.

At the same time, he said the same principle must apply in reverse. "Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire."

Obama spoke at Cairo University after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the second stop of a four-nation trip to the Middle East and Europe.

The speech was the centerpiece of his journey, and while its tone was striking, the president also covered the Middle East peace process, Iran, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the violent struggle waged by al-Qaida.

Obama arrived in the Middle East on Wednesday, greeted by a new and threatening message from al-Qaida's leader, Osama bin Laden. In an audio recording, the terrorist leader said the president inflamed the Muslim world by ordering Pakistan to crack down on militants in the Swat Valley and block Islamic law there.

But Obama said the actions of violent extremist Muslims are "irreconcilable with the rights of human beings," and quoted the Quran to make his point: "be conscious of God and always speak the truth ..."

"Islam is not part of the problem in combatting violent extremism — it is an important part of promoting peace," he said.

"Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, and recognize Israel's right to exist," he said of the organization the United States deems as terrorists.

"The Palestinian Authority must develop its capacity to govern, with institutions that serve the needs of its people," Obama said.

"At the same time, Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements" on the West Bank and outskirts of Jerusalem, he said. "It is time for these settlements to stop."

As for Jerusalem itself, he said it should be a "secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims ..."

Obama also said the Arab nations should no longer use the conflict with Israel to distract its own people from other problems.

He treaded lightly on one issue that President George W. Bush had made a centerpiece of his second term — the spread of democracy.

Obama said he has a commitment to governments "that reflect the will of the people." And yet, he said, "No system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other."

At times, there was an echo of Obama's campaign mantra of change in his remarks, and he said many are afraid it cannot occur.

"There is so much fear, so much mistrust. But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward," he said.

The president's brief stay in Cairo included a visit to the Sultan Hassan mosque, a 600-year-old center of Islamic worship and study. A tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza was also on his itinerary.

The build-up to the speech was enormous, stoked by the White House although Obama seemed at pains to minimize hopes for immediate consequences.

"One speech is not going to solve all the problems in the Middle East," he told a French interviewer. "Expectations should be somewhat modest."

Eager to spread the president's message as widely as possible, the tech-savvy White House orchestrated a live Webcast of the speech on the White House site; remarks translated into 13 languages; a special State Department site where users could sign up for speech highlights; and distribution of excerpts to social networking giants MySpace, Twitter and Facebook.

Though the speech was co-sponsored by al-Azhar University, which has taught science and Quranic scripture here for nearly a millennium, the klix venue was the more modern and secular Cairo University. The lectern was set up in the domed main auditorium on a stage dominated by a picture of Mubarak.

Human rights advocates found that symbolism troubling: an American president watched over by an aging autocrat who's ruled Egypt since 1981.

"Egypt's democrats cannot help being concerned," wrote Dina Guirguis, executive director of Voices for a Democratic Egypt.

The university's alumni are among the Arab world's most famous — and notorious. They include the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfuz. Saddam Hussein studied law in the '60s but did not graduate. And al-Qaida second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri earned a medical degree.