Credit: Reuters

President Obama has spoken to the Muslim World, and the world has responded.  And continues to respond.  Here are some highlighted reactions to some of the themes in the President’s much heralded speech in Cairo on Thursday.

On substance and political will:

Hearts, minds… but no political will?
As much as President Obama’s speech in Cairo has been branded as one “to the Muslim world”-whatever that might mean-it is certainly a speech whose audience spanned across a much larger swath of the world. In terms of signaling substantive policy changes for the peoples of that world, there is not much to count on. Much of the lip service is the same as that of the Bush era. Kabobfest Blog: Read More…

Professor Juan Cole and Cairo-Based Analyst Issandr El Amrani on Obama’s Historic Address
[Democracy Now] get analysis of Obama’s speech from Cairo-based independent analyst Issandr El Amrani and Professor Juan Cole, author of Engaging the Muslim World. Democracy Now! Read More…
Obama was up against Napoleon

President Obama just delivered his “remarks to the Muslim world” in Cairo, Egypt. In it he quoted the Quran, invoked his own Muslim background, and acknowledged Islam’s contribution to world civilization, all while seeking out a new vision “based upon mutual interest and mutual respect.” This speech follows Obama’s trip to Saudi Arabia and an earlier speech in Turkey where he promised that America will never be at war with Islam. I think the question now is whether average people in Muslim majority countries - who are the target of the speech - are going to actually believe that Obama is his own man in search of a new paradigm or whether they are going to liken him to Napoleon Bonaparte and therefore a continuation of a disliked past. True/Slant: Read More…

On Israel and Palestine:

Palestinians, Israelis Have Mixed Reactions to Obama Speech
Palestinian officials are hailing U.S. President Barack Obama’s speech to the Muslim world as a good first step toward resolving the Middle East conflict. Israel said it hoped the U.S. president’s speech will help usher in a new period of reconciliation in the region. Voice of America News: Read More…

ANALYSIS / Obama put Arabs and Israel on an equal footing
On June 4, 2009 a new chapter began in the trilateral relations between the United States, the Arab world and Israel. One day before Israel marks the 42nd anniversary of the Six-Day War, U.S. President Barack Obama declared before the entire world, upon an Arab-Muslim stage, that the time has come to end the era of Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territories. Moreover, Obama announced that he was taking responsibility for doing so. The imbalance in the unequal U.S.-Israel-Arab triangle was replaced Thursday by an Isosceles triangle. Haaretz: Read More….

On Muslims in America:

Obama speech in Cairo pleases American Muslims
He opened with greetings of gratitude and peace — “Shukran” and “As-Salaam-Alaikum.” From there, President Barack Obama set out to build a bridge between a nation born out of revolution and a faith born out of revelation.
Quoting the Quran three times and acknowledging his personal ties to Islam, Obama called on the Muslim world to embrace common principles of justice, progress and tolerance to move beyond “the cycle of suspicion and discord” between the U.S. and Arab nations. Chicago Tribune: read more…

On the location:

Obama in Cairo, an opportunity to restore faith
U.S. President Barack Obama is being criticised for choosing Cairo as the venue for his speech to the Muslim world. According to some human rights and pro-democracy activists, this validates autocratic governance in general and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s regime in particular.
Yet, where would these critics suggest he give his speech? Cairo is home to Al Azhar, a leading centre of mainstream Islamic thought, and it houses some of the largest universities in the Arab world where future generations are taught. Is there a better venue to reach out to the people of the region, particularly the young, and to Muslims everywhere? Al Jazeera: Read More…

For even more links and a great breakdown of the entire spectrum of emotional reactions to the speech, check out Sunny Hundal’s top picks at Pickled Politics

Full Video of Obama’s Cairo Speech: