"A New Beginning" is the name of a speech delivered by United States President Barack Obama on 4 June 2009, from the Major Reception Hall at Cairo University in Egypt.

[1] White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs indicated that Egypt was chosen because "it is a country that in many ways represents the heart of the Arab world.

"[2] Egypt is considered a key player in the Middle East peace process as well as a major recipient of American military and economic aid.

"[7][8] "White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs stated he will review particular issues of concern, such as violent extremism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and he will discuss new areas for partnership going forward that serve the mutual interests of our people.

[10][11] President Obama's first trip to a Muslim majority country occurred on 6 and 7 April when he visited Turkey and spoke to the Grand National Assembly.

Obama reaffirmed his belief in a two-state solution, and stressed that Israel's obligation under a 2003 Middle East peace 'road map' includes stopping settlement growth and ensuring that there is a viable Palestinian state.

[22] Mohammed Habib, the deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group, dismissed Obama's trip and said it would be "useless unless it is preceded by real change in the policies of the US administration toward the Arab and Islamic world".

[24] Cairo University spokeswoman Galila Mukhtar told The New York Times that "we are very proud to host the president of the United States,"[25] with spokesman Sami Abdel Aziz adding that the speech would be delivered in the Major Reception Hall.

[citation needed] The speech was divided into seven parts: violent extremism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, nuclear weapons (with a reference to Iran), democracy, religious freedom, women's rights, and economic development.

"[29] Obama described Muslim contributions to Western civilization, citing the founding of algebra, the development of navigational tools, the invention of the fountain pen, and the influence of Islamic architecture.

He also listed several of the United States' connections to Islam, including Morocco being the first country to recognize the United States, American Muslim sportsmen (such as Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and civil rights leaders (such as Malcolm X), the Nobel Prize winner Ahmed Zewail, the Bangladeshi American architect-engineer Fazlur Khan who designed the Sears Tower,[30] the election of Keith Ellison as the US's first Muslim congressman, and the presence of over 1,200 mosques in the US.

On 3 June, Al-Qaeda released a video in which Osama bin Laden strongly criticized Obama's foreign policy in the Middle East.

Amr Moussa, head of the Arab League, hailed the speech, saying it "was balanced and offered a new vision of rapprochement regarding relations with Islamic states".

[41] Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the speech was a "direct, significant and brave appeal in which President Obama elucidated his vision and important universal principles, which he wishes to share with the Muslim world".

[44] A Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman praised and backed the speech saying, "We feel encouraged by President Obama’s remarks on Palestine and Israel.

[46] Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, later made an address that did not mention Obama's speech directly, but he said, "[t]he new US government seeks to transform this image.

[40] According to journalist Richard Spencer, most commentators in the Arab press welcomed Obama's speech, hoping it would lay the ground for concrete action.

Rami Khouri, the editor of The Daily Star and director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, argued that Obama gave "a lot of good, positive vibes" but, ultimately, it "was only rhetoric".

"[41] CNN pundit David Gergen argued that while, in his view, Obama has wrongly apologized for American actions before, he did not do so here and conservative criticisms are unfounded.

[48] Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman lauded the speech and went on to remark, "Obama is off to a very, very good start in a very difficult time in our nation's history.

"[52] A spokesman for Human Rights Watch stated that "there were many things that were commendable ... but it is disappointing that when he talked about democracy in the Muslim world he wasn't more specific about some of the problems."

[41] Following the speech, Essam Derbala, a leader of the Egyptian Islamist group al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, called for Taliban and Al-Qaeda to halt attacks on US civilians and to consider the "opening" offered by Obama.

[54] Several others stated that the speech played only a minor role compared to domestic events such as a last-minute appeal by Lebanon's Maronite patriarch asking Christians to vote against Hezbollah.

[56] According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the speech may have played some role in the June 2009 Iranian Presidential election between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his rival Mir Hossein Mousavi, spurring on reformist public opinion.

[62] The speech was dubbed by John Esposito, Professor of religion, international affairs and Islamic studies at the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim–Christian Understanding, Georgetown University as a good start in improving US–Muslim-world relations, but "as post Cairo so today, many will now be expecting bold and decisive policies and actions that turn the administration's rhetoric into reality.

"[63] In 2016 Obama stated in an interview with The Atlantic that he tried with his speech to persuade Muslims to more closely examine the roots of their unhappiness and acknowledged he didn't succeed in this goal.

We want to work to help achieve statehood and dignity for the Palestinians, but I was hoping that my speech could trigger a discussion, could create space for Muslims to address the real problems they are confronting—problems of governance, and the fact that some currents of Islam have not gone through a reformation that would help people adapt their religious doctrines to modernity.