Peace and Justice Post

By Thalif Deen | Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 6 (IPS) – When the administration of President Barack Obama formally abandoned the longstanding U.S. “war on terror” – perceived by some as a codeword for “war against Islam” – there were hopes of a new relationship between the United States and the Muslim world after eight long years of political friction.

A significant shift in U.S. policy was also articulated by Obama when he told a predominantly Muslim audience in Egypt last month that “America is not – and never will be – at war with Islam.”

The sentiments he expressed, including an appeal for “a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world”, were applauded globally.

But the ground realities, both in the United States and in Western Europe, have not caught up with the widespread political euphoria.

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