Word: turkish
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...mainly Muslim country deeply divided over the role of Islam in politics, expanding democratic rights and enacting European Union reforms, the President showed how it's done. From minority Christian leaders and Muslim mufti to Kurdish politicians and right-wing nationalists, Obama met with vastly disparate sections of Turkish society and managed to earn back at least some of the goodwill lost in recent years...
...made all camps happy, but he also gave everyone something to think about," says Turkish newspaper columnist Cuneyt Ulsever of Obama's first day in the capital, Ankara, where he addressed the parliament and met with leaders. "He met with the nationalist opposition but said 'Deal with your past.' He honored the government and hugged the President but asked for progress on normalizing relations with Armenia and improving Kurdish rights. For the secularists, he emphasized Turkey's secular identity but also spoke of respect for Islam's rich history." (See pictures of the Obamas abroad...
...something-for-everyone approach appears to have worked. While anti-American sentiment among Turks rose to historic highs under President George W. Bush, polls show Obama with an approval rating in Turkey above 50%. Even the typically antagonistic Turkish press - left, right, secularist and Islamist - were united in their praise on Tuesday. "He won our hearts," read the banner headline on the mainstream daily Vatan. More important, all referred to Obama's message urging democratic progress. "We must all change," said the top-selling Hurriyet...
...Obama also used his first visit to a Muslim country to send a message of reconciliation to the greater Islamic world. "America is not, and will never be, at war with Islam," he declared in his address to Turkish MPs. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said Obama's speech "reflects a clear attention toward the two-state solution" for Israel and the Palestinians and described Obama's words as "important" and "positive...
...helped that Obama introduced a personal tone to his appeal. Introduced as "Barack Hussein Obama" before his parliamentary speech, he referred to his own identity as the son of a Kenyan Muslim and his upbringing in Indonesia. "The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans," he told the Turkish deputies. "Many other Americans have Muslims in their family or have lived in a Muslim-majority country." (See pictures of Obama's family tree...