Mark Juergensmeyer comments on Obama’s use of the Arabic words, “Salaam Aleikum“:
A remarkable moment occurred early on in President Barack Obama’s recent speech at Cairo University. The audience gasped, then burst into wild applause, not over an idea or a proposal, but over a phrase. They were cheering something commonplace in any Muslim culture, the use of the Arabic words meaning “peace be with you”—Salaam Aleikum.
[…]What is remarkable is how remarkable this seems, that an American president would be seen as courteous and respectful of the cultures of other countries, insistent that the strength of global society—as well as American society—is in this variegated religious landscape. In all its simple decency, it was a proud moment for America, for Egypt, and for the world.
Read the full post here.