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Elan’s founder and publisher gives a final prediction on the new administration. WHEN BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA was a young boy still shaping and defining his purpose in life, his mother, Ann Dunham, already fell in love with and married two men with Islamic backgrounds.  As a humanitarian aid worker and anthropologist, she paved the foundation for young Obama’s future by the single most significant lesson he could have received:  exposure to the world.  Immersing himself in the culture of Muslim countries like Indonesia, as well as other diverse locations like Kenya and Pakistan as a young man, Obama’s unique upbringing guaranteed a global interconnectivity that goes well beyond political rhetoric. In a time when the United States shares an unpopular standing in the international community, people around the world still celebrated alongside Americans when we voted President Obama into office.  The question is, why?  Why would individuals on every continent, in every country galvanize and honor our election in such a manner?  Why would they hold parties, dance in the streets and plaster Obama’s image on the cover of every major newspaper and magazine?  The answer is quite simple really.  With the potential of permanently shutting down Guantanamo Bay, hosting major speeches in Muslim capitals and finally opening up the lines of communication even with our staunchest enemies, President Obama may in fact hold the key to recovering our stance as the ultimate superpower that leads by true example. From the very beginning of Obama’s campaign, young professional Muslim Americans supported the intellectually astute leader regardless of his careful tactics to distance himself from any association with Muslims. Young Muslim Americans hosted debate watch parties, took time to volunteer in local voting efforts, worked diligently on his campaign and actively participated in the political process.  Proving that we, Muslim youth, not only have hope and faith in our new President, but undeniably believe in his message and sincerity.  It is with this vigor and anticipation that we, the Muslim American community, are proud to have helped make history ... and there is no doubt that President Obama will continue to do so.  “IT IS WITH THIS VIGOR AND ANTICIPATION THAT WE, THE MUSLIM AMERICAN COMMUNITY, ARE PROUD TO HAVE HELPED MAKE HISTORY ... AND THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO.” “I have seen the desperation and disorder of the powerless; how it twists the lives of children on the streets of Jakarta or Nairobi in much the same way as it does the lives of children on Chicago’s South Side,” President Obama himself said in the 2004 preface to Dreams from My Father. It is precisely this state of mind, that we have been waiting for ... and one that could possibly usher in a new golden era with the global Muslim community working in conjunction with the Obama administration. Moniza Khokhar is the founder and publisher of ‘Elan: The Guide to Global Muslim Culture’. http://www.elanthemag.com/index.php/looking_ahead_what_the_future_holds/