Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia evokes hope for the future

ham

“President Obama’s visit here is a good sign, especially when he is intending to reach out to the Arab and Muslim people; however, there has to be honesty in dealing with the Palestinian issue. Only with honesty in promoting peace in the region will he be able to win the hearts and minds of people here. My family and I watched Obama win the presidency; he seems to be a nice person and he talks of totally different plans for peace in the region. This is a good sign and I hope that he focuses on the Palestinian issue and on human rights. His message was ‘hope’ and I hope that he gets to spread his message to the region.” — Mohammed Abdullah.

“Saudi students and travelers complain that the president could do something about the visa processing issue. A mother of two complained that ten years ago, it was much easier to obtain a visa. Now, on the other hand, it is difficult even to visit the US Consulate without being screened many times and having to answer many questions.” — Noor Omar

“The image they have of Arabs and Muslims is that they are bad people. I think only the president of the United States can help. We are good people and we like Americans. We buy American products and goods; there is no need to think of us as terrorists or bad. Muslims are not terrorists and shouldn’t be viewed that way. I feel that President Obama could do something about this. I love America and the American people and have visited the US many times. I feel that there are restrictions on people from the Arab world visiting there. I am sorry about the misconception about Muslim and think that now that Obama is president, he could fix things.” — Iman Hassan

“The visit was important considering the status of the Kingdom in the region and the important events taking place right now. He urged the president to fulfill his electoral promises and ease the tension between the US and the rest of the world. Also, he urged him to stop pushing Pakistan to fight what it calls terrorism in the Swat valley because the majority of victims are innocent people, such as children, old men, and women who do not know what terrorism means.” — Mazin Muhammed. “I don’t know what the purpose of the visit is. Is it about the world financial crisis? Or is it about the unstable political situation in the region? In general, I welcome the visit which symbolizes the cooperation between the Kingdom and US. Obama should work for world peace by promoting freedom and justice unlike President Bush who claimed to be the only custodian of freedom and justice and we all saw what his claims caused in the world.” — Hamad Al Ali.

“It was a good gesture from Obama to visit the Kingdom, home of humanity and hospitality. I hope the president will work diligently in order to end the problems in the world and first among them is the Palestinian tragedy exacerbated by Israeli aggression in Gaza early this year. Also President Obama must work for a peaceful solution to Iranian nuclear ambitions and to intervene very firmly to stop Tel Aviv from taking any military action against Tehran.”

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *