Obama names special envoy to global Islamic group

[babylonsister]

Obama names special envoy to global Islamic group

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama on Saturday named a White House lawyer as his special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, part of his continuing effort to repair strained U.S. relations with the world's Muslims.

Obama announced Rashad Hussain's appointment during a video address to the 7th U.S.-Islamic World Forum meeting in Doha, Qatar.

As his liaison to the OIC, the president said Hussain will continue working to repair U.S.-Islamic relations and develop the types of partnerships Obama called for when he addressed the Muslim world during a speech last year in Cairo.

U.S. relations with the Muslim world became strained after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the video address, Obama said he called in Cairo for the U.S. and Muslims to start anew "based on mutual interest and mutual respect" because the relationship had "slipped into a cycle of misunderstanding and mistrust that can lead to conflict rather than cooperation."

He said he looked forward to continuing the dialogue next month when he visits Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. Obama also spent several of his childhood years living in Indonesia with his mother and stepfather.

Obama recounted efforts by his administration to foster partnerships with Muslims on education, economic development, global health, and science and technology. He touched on the plan to remove all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of August, and his administration's efforts to return Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiating table to jump-start stalled peace talks.

Obama also announced a summit on entrepreneurship in April with Muslim business leaders and entrepreneurs from around the world.

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_MUSLIMS?SITE=CONGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[alsame]

1. And the video is here on the WH site:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/02/13/president-obama-addresses-us-islamic-world-forum

[impik]

2. This is great. So much was done quietly in less than a year

And no one knows about it.

[Cha]

3. So important..thank you President Obama &

babylonsister.

[Purveyor]

4. Thank you for posting. K&R eom