“I am also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: Asalamu Alaikum,” Obama said.

Obama said the 9/11 attacks caused “enormous trauma to our country”. He reminded his audience that he has “unequivocally prohibited the use of torture” and has ordered the prison to be closed at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

The President divided his speech into seven sections. He touched on “sources of tension” from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, democracy, religious freedom, women’s rights and economic development and opportunity.

While the message touched upon a litany of challenges, it boiled down to simply this: Barack Hussein Obama was standing at the podium as the US President.

Excerpts from US President Barack Obama’s address to the Muslim world from Cairo:

On himself

I am a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and the fall of dusk.

On war

We did not go by choice, we went because of necessity. I am aware that some question or justify the events of 9/11. But let us be clear: al-Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day. The victims were innocent men, women and children from America and many other nations.

On Pakistan

... we plan to invest $1.5 billion each year over the next five years to partner with Pakistanis to build schools and hospitals, roads and businesses...

... contd.