Programs and Events
Muslim Women React to Obama Speech
On June 5, a group of 25 Muslim women watched a tape of President Obama’s speech “A New Beginning,” at the American Cultural Center. After the speech, PAO Katya Thomas moderated a discussion with the Muslim women, stressing that she was there to listen. The audience appreciated being given the opportunity to react to the speech. Every speaker expressed their admiration for the values expressed in the speech, and wanted to know what concrete results might come out of it. “Our Constitution is the Koran,” one woman said, “and the extremists are misusing it. If the word of God is respected, we will have peace.”
Another woman pointed out how Muslims themselves are victims of terrorism, and asked the USG to help the Muslim community to identify extremists, which she called “the bad fruit that stain the image of Islam.” She also expressed the hope that one day President Obama and the First Lady would come visit DRC, and that “Congolese Muslims would be among the first to greet them.”
Several listeners, while praising the values expressed in the President’s speech, wanted to know what concrete results might follow. One of them said: “We are behind him. The words come first, then the actions.” Finally, one woman expressed the need for a proper census of Congolese Muslims, so that “we would be able to know the extent of our own community.”