President Obama made a highly anticipated visit to the Middle East earlier this week. Folks around the world listened closely to his speeches. In the end, a few words and phrases stood out, either because they were said or because they weren't even alluded to.
There were no fist bumps, but there were many interesting moments during Obama's speech in Cairo. The moment that got the most attention, in Search anyway, was Obama's use of "assalamu alaikum." Said the President: "I'm also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: Assalaamu alaykum." After the speech, searches soared on the greeting, its meaning, and translation. According to the Islamic Dictionary, it literally means: "Peace be upon you." It is a shortened form of a phrase that translates to "Peace be unto you and so may the mercy of Allah and His blessings."
A blog from The Atlantic highlighted some of Obama's other phrases from the Cairo speech. It is interesting, though not particularly surprising, that the President played up his ties to Islam during his visit... something his campaign downplayed during the election. The President quoted from the Holy Koran several times, including this key quote that drew big applause: "The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind."
Just as notable was the President's omission of a very controversial word: terrorism. Politico explains that this was likely a very conscious decision on Obama's part. Instead of the "t-word" in his speech, Obama used the word "extremism" to get his point across. "Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism," Obama said. "It is an important part of promoting peace."
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