to dialogue with muslims is a brilliant idea, but to pick saudia arabia and egypt as the main vehicle for such a dialogue is ironic. neither country is democratic or much interested in human rights. of course, we support their dictators but how does that help start a dialogue with the muslims they oppress?
since the “misapprehensions” obama is talking about do not exist between the govt of the united states and other govts with majority muslim populations (many of which are manned by u.s. puppets), it is the muslims of the world he should address – the actual people who see torture, detention without trial and the bombing of muslim villagers as a war on islam.
i cringe whenever anybody describes the saudi arabian govt as the “leaders” of the muslim world. saudi arabia is a country named after a family! ain’t nothing islamic about that! they have holy sites but people in the subcontinent feel more strongly about the sufi shrines they gather at and shias have a deeper emotional connection to many of the shrines in iraq. see, the problem is there is no muslim ethinicity or geo-political identity.
govts can’t represent entire religions. for example, if the muslims of the world wanted to talk to christians, which govt would they be advised to visit? the u.s. govt? the italian govt? the mexican govt? the govt in the congo? or should they just visit rick warren and the pope?
having said that, all muslim countries are not equal. as far as which govts are more representative of their muslim populations, i can find better examples than saudi arabia and egypt. turkey is not perfect but is it a functional democracy. iran u might not like but it is a vibrant muslim country with a citizenry that is young and pushing for change. indonesia is the most populous muslim country in the world, a republic, with an elected legislature and president. more muslims live in the indian subcontinent than in any other region. pakistan, inspite of all its problems with a long history of american-backed military dictatorships and the terribly misguided war on terror and its aftermath, just experienced a grassroots lawyers’ movement that ousted a powerful general. bangladesh has a system of parliamentary democracy. i could go on.
maybe this is not about dialoguing, but just keeping the price of oil in check and getting rid of some problematic detainees that no one wants in america?