Obama's Speech at Cairo Universiy

Barack Hussein Obama

Barack Hussein Obama (born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States. The first African American to hold the office, he served as the junior United States Senator from Illinois from January 2005 until he resigned after his election to the presidency in November 2008.

Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and also taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004.

Obama served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 19

97 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in t

he U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, Obama ran fo

r United States Senate in 2004. His victory, from a crow

ded field, in the March 2004 Democratic primary raised

his visibility. His prime-time televised keynote address a

t the Democratic National Convention in July 2004 mad

e him a rising star nationally in the Democratic Party. He

was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2004 by the

largest margin in the history of Illinois.

He began his run for the presidency in February 2007.

After a close campaign in the 2008 Democratic Party p

residential primaries against Hillary Rodham Clinton,

he won his party's nomination, becoming the first majo

r party African American candidate for president. In th

e 2008 general election, he defeated Republican nomin

ee John McCain and was inaugurated as president on J

anuary 20, 2009.

Background of the Speech

The stage is being set for President Obama's speech to the

world's Muslims. The White House has confirmed Cairo

University as the location of the address, and the campus is

getting a quick makeover to host Obama. A few hundred

students of Cario University will be chosen to attend the

speech. Many students welcome the changes, but change in

U.S. foreign policy is really what they're looking for. The

American President Barack Obama will hopefully speak about

the actions he plans to take to make the Middle East, the Arab

world, and the whole world better.

Cairo University is the site of President Obama's

speech to the world's Muslims. On Thursday June 4,

from the university's domed Great Hall, the

president took center stage. Cario University has

made good preparation for US President. Before

President Obama came, the public university is

concentrating on landscaping, planting flowers and

giving some of these landmarks a fresh coat of

paint.

Outside the university, there are more signs that an

important guest is coming. A bridge is being painted in

preparation. Chief painter Michel Labeeb says Egyptians

are inspired by Mr. Obama. "In the Middle East, there will

be peace God willing. We are optimistic about what to

expect from Obama," he said.

It's a view many hold. They like the newly paved roads,

like this one, but they hope Mr. Obama's visit will pave a

new path in US-Muslim

Words and Expressions

timeless

If you describe something as timeless, you mean that it is so good or beautiful that it cannot be affected by changes in society or fashion. e.g. There is a timeless quality to his best work.

beacon

A beacon is a light or a fire, usually on a hill or tower, which acts as a signal or a warning.

e.g. The beacon is raised, supplied and sponsored by British Gas.

proxy

If you do something by proxy, you arrange for someone else to do it for you. e.g. Those not attending the meeting may vote by proxy.

exploit

If you exploit something, you use it well, and achieve something or gain an advantage from it. e.g. Cary is hoping to exploit new opportunities in Europe.

potent

Powerful; Something that is potent is very effective and powerful.

e.g. The drug is extremely potent, but causes unpleasant side effects.

empower

To empower someone means to give them the means to achieve something, for example to become stronger or more successful. e.g. What I'm trying to do is to empower people, to give them ways to help them get well.

exclusive

If two things are mutually exclusive, they are separate and very different from each other, so that it is impossible for them to exist or happen together. e.g. They both have learnt that ambition and successful fatherhood can be mutually exclusive.

eradicate

To eradicate something means to get rid of it completely.

e.g. If tedious tasks could be eradicated, the world would be a much better place.

heal

When a broken bone or other injury heals or when something heals it, it becomes healthy and normal again. e.g. Within six weeks the bruising had gone, but it was six months before it all healed.

calligraphy

Calligraphy is the art of producing beautiful handwriting using a brush or a special pen.

e.g. Oriental calligraphy might be called the handwriting of the arist.

enmity

Enmity is a feeling of hatred towards someone that lasts for a long time. e.g. I think there is an historic enmity between them.

stereotype

A stereotype is a fixed general image or set of characteristics that a lot of people believe represent a particular type of person or thing. e.g. Many men feel their body shape doesn't live up to the stereotype of the ideal man.

mosque

A mosque is a building where Muslims go to worship.

e.g. The photo of Cardiff skyline looked more like the Middle East also with a mosque in the foreground.

aspiration

Someone's aspirations are their desire to achieve things.

e.g. She never had high aspirations, she says, and was quite happy to absorb herself with routine police work.

slaughter

If large numbers of people or animals are slaughtered, they are killed in a way that is cruel or unnecessary. e.g. Thirty four people were slaughtered while queuing up to cast their votes.

subjugate

If someone subjugates a group of people, they take complete control of them, especially by defeating them in a war.

e.g. Their costly and futile attempt to subjugate the Afghans lasted just 10 years.

affiliate

An affiliate is an organization which is officially connected with another, larger organization or is a member of it.

e.g. The World Chess Federation has affiliates in around 120 countries.

agonizing

Something that is agonizing causes you to feel great physical or mental pain. e.g. He did not wish to die the agonizing death of his mother and brother.

coalition A coalition is a group consisting of people from different political or social groups who are co-operating to achieve a particular aim. e.g. He had been opposed by a coalition of about 50 civil rights, women's and Latino organizations.

irreconcilable

Incompatible; If two things such as opinions or proposals are irreconcilable, they are so different from each other that it is not possible to believe or have both of them.

e.g. These old concepts are irreconcilable with modern life.

be better off

If you say that someone would be better off doing something, you are advising them to do it or expressing the opinion that it would benefit them to do it. e.g. If you've got bags you're better off taking a taxi.

consensus

A consensus is general agreement among a group of people. e.g. The consensus amongst the world's scientists is that the world is likely to warm up over the next few decades.

sovereignty

Autonomy; Sovereignty is the power that a country has to govern itself or another country or state. e.g. Britain's concern to protect national sovereignty is far from new.

trauma

Trauma is a very severe shock or very upsetting experience, which may cause psychological damage.

e.g. The officers are claiming compensation for trauma after the disaster.

unequivocal

If you describe someone's attitude as unequivocal, you mean that it is completely clear and very firm. e.g. Yesterday, the message to him was unequivocal: `Get out.'

persecute

If someone is persecuted, they are treated cruelly and unfairly, often because of their race or beliefs. e.g. Mr Weaver and his family have been persecuted by the authorities for their beliefs.

vile

If you say that someone or something is vile, you mean that they are very unpleasant. e.g. She was in too vile a mood to work.

humiliation

Humiliation is the embarrassment and shame you feel when someone makes you appear stupid, or when you make a mistake in public. e.g. She faced the humiliation of discussing her husband's affair.

stalemate

Stalemate is a situation in which neither side in an argument or contest can win or in which no progress is possible. e.g. President Bush has ended the stalemate over moves to cut the country's budget deficit.

elusive

Something or someone that is elusive is difficult to find, describe, remember, or achieve. e.g. In London late-night taxis are elusive and far from cheap.

segregation

Segregation is the official practice of keeping people apart, usually people of different sexes, races, or religions. e.g. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional.

devastate

ravage, wreck; If something devastates an area or a place, it damages it very badly or destroys it totally. e.g. A few days before, a fire had devastated large parts of Windsor Castle.

align

If you align yourself with a particular group, you support them because you have the same political aim. e.g. There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals.

tumultuous

A tumultuous event or period of time involves many exciting and confusing events or feelings.

e.g. It's been a tumultuous day at the international trade negotiations in Brussels.

rectitude

Rectitude is a quality or attitude that is shown by people who behave honestly and morally according to accepted standards.

e.g. An informal thought police, I imagined, checked every pronouncement for political rectitude.

coercion

Coercion is the act or process of persuading someone forcefully to do something that they do not want to do. e.g. It was vital that the elections should be free of coercion or intimidation.

envoy

An envoy is someone who is sent as a representative from one government or political group to another.

e.g. Three years after that, he and his wife started working at Laurieston as `envoys", non-commissioned officers.