Pres. Barack Obama President Obama’s speech last week to more then 900 million people in Cairo, Egypt was suffused with references of justice, tolerance and dignity aligned with the Islamic way of life and earned the commander in-chief respect among Muslims by acknowledging their contributions to world culture and science.

Obama used his June 4 address as a vehicle for repairing some of the damage done to America’s reputation as a result of the Iraq war, U.S. treatment of military detainees and the lack of progress in Middle East peace talks, and recalled that Morocco—also a Muslim nation—was the first to recognize American independence.

His presence in Cairo made good on a campaign promise to address the Islamic world from a major Muslim capital early on in his presidency, and during a 55-minute talk Obama often quoted from the holy Quran.

Obama had stated during a gathering earlier in the week in the District of Columbia that he wanted, “to use the occasion [for] a broader message about how the United States can change for the better its relationship with the Muslim world.”

The president recalled living in Indonesia as a boy and referred to Cairo as a “timeless city.”

Obama said he seeks a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based upon mutual respect and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive.