If Not Obama, Who, and If Not Now, When. By Jamil Shawwa

I was not as surprised by President Obama's winning the 2009 Noble Peace prize as I was surprised by the multiple voices that rejected this victory here in our country the US. The opposition questioned the reason, as the president has not been in office for more than few months. They were wrong, the measure was not by how long he has been in office but how he came to office, what his arrival represents and what he did to world peace and civilization since he came to office. I claim to have the answer for the oppositions’ dilemma and the answer is that Obama came to power as the first American from African decent, that a majority of American people of all ethnic backgrounds from all over the world voted him to power, that the first thing he did when he became president was to open the eyes and the hearts of the world to the importance of showing America's tolerance and acceptance to Islam as one of the three divine religions and that Islam is not a religion of war but a religion of peace and tolerance, and that there is a place in America for Islam. Obama's speech at Cairo University in my opinion cemented his nomination to the Noble prize.