Obama's Message to Muslims Requires Sensitivity--and Tough Love

President Barack Obama has a lot riding on his trip to the Middle East and scheduled address to the Muslim world this week. There is much to cover—the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iran's nuclear potential, U.S relations with Muslim nations, and the battle again al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.

It is a highly anticipated speech, and Obama is sure to have the attention of Israel and its supporters as well as Muslims the world over. Obama has two big things going for him—who he is and who he isn't.

He has lived in a Muslim country and his father was a Muslim from Kenya, something Obama mentioned both in his last visit to the region and in his first televised interview as president to the Arabic satellite TV station Al-Arabiya.

And of course he is not George W. Bush, reviled in much of the Muslim world for the invasion of Iraq.

If ever there was a U.S. leader in a favorable position to reach out to Islamic nations it is Obama, which is why he must not only talk about what the United States will do to change the dynamic but use this opportunity to ask for some things in return. The moment calls for a little tough love.

His first trip overseas included a stop in Istanbul and a speech before the Turkish Parliament in April where Obama went out of his way to mend fences, apologizing for America's mistakes and assuring that we are not at war with Muslims.

Denis McDonough, deputy national security adviser, said of this trip, "We want to get back on a shared partnership, back in a conversation that focuses on our shared values."

If those values include democracy and freedom of speech and religion, it would appear the Muslim world has some work to do.

In his speech in Turkey, Obama said the relationship is based on "mutual interests and mutual respect." Respect calls for honesty and making it clear what we expect in return for our support and friendship, not excusing or overlooking bad behavior as one might with a child.

The lack of democracy, serious violations of human rights, especially the rights of women, and denial of rights to non-Muslim religious minorities in many nations in the Arab world can and should be addressed.

We do need cooperation from these nations when it comes to security and strategic interests but we have a long history of supporting Arab dictators and autocrats. It's extremely difficult to balance strategic and democratic goals but we must make a start. Obama should speak about these things not only to these nation's leaders but to their people in his address, as he did in his presidential campaign.

And symbolism matters. One hopes when Obama stops in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday he does not bow to King Abdullah as he did the last time the two met.

Muslims complain that we have equated Islam with acts of terrorism. It is true that al Qaeda and other terrorists are not representative of the Muslim faith, but these groups claim to act in the name of that faith and have recruited and organized from mosques. More importantly, Muslim clerics and religious leaders have been all too silent in not denouncing the actions of these groups.

Obama should call them on it. We do want a partnership with these nations, but that requires give-and-take from both sides.

We want and need their support in fighting terrorism and in trying to bring lasting peace to the Middle East, and Obama should press King Abdullah and other Arab leaders to support the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and acknowledge Israel's right to exist.

In the past few weeks, Obama has told both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas during visits to Washington that Israel must halt all settlement activity on the West Bank. He has also called for renewed peace talks and pledged to support the goal of two states—Israel and Palestine.

But a peace agreement cannot be imposed or forced on the Israelis and Palestinians by the United States, it can only be nurtured.

Obama will conclude his overseas trip by taking part in 65th anniversary ceremonies of the Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day—a fitting tribute to a battle that helped protect democracy around the world.