On June 4, 2009, US President Barack Obama arrived in Cairo to deliver a speech intended to reconcile America with Islam. Obama went to Egypt to counter the perception that his country was the enemy of Islam, a perception that was only reinforced during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and because of its firm friendship with Israel.
"I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world,” Obama explained in his speech. "One based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles — principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings."
