The president's sentiments resonated with Hassan Jaber, executive director of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services in Dearborn. After the speech, Jaber joined leaders of various Arab American communities in Dearborn for a telephone briefing with State Department officials, who sought the community's reaction. He described the response as overwhelmingly positive.
"This dark cloud over Arab Americans and Muslim Americans is finally on its way to leave us," Jaber said. "The speech was historical . . . a whole new language and, if the policy follows, a chance for everyone to engage in a new way."
Nihad Awad, who leads the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he hoped Obama's address would elevate interfaith relations in the United States, leading to greater respect among various groups. "I hope Christians, Jews, Muslims or people of other faiths will take advantage of the spirit of this speech," he said.
Despite such calls for reconciliation, Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders expressed divergent opinions about Obama's remarks on the Middle East, especially as they related to Israel.
The heads of several major Jewish organizations praised Obama for delivering an inspiring address but objected to his call for Israel to stop the expansion of Jewish settlements, particularly without significant concessions from Palestinian groups.
"What is important now is to see the responses from the moderate Arab states," said Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League. "The president deserves our support . . . in his effort to bring peace."
Still, leaders of the West's three major religions found common ground in Obama's call to build interfaith bridges.
"I hope communities all around the United States come together around the text of this speech -- Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs," said Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson of the 4.7-million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
"We need to see Islam in the context of its sacred text," he added, "as we Christians want to be understood in the context of ours, and not only in its ideological extremist manifestations."
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