‘You can tell he wants peace’

At Habibi Cafe in Westwood, Hamad Hemila Almazrouei sat alone watching President Obama’s speech as patrons around him smoked hookah and settled tabs in one of the few L.A. businesses open at 3:30 a.m. He nodded approvingly when Obama declared that America was not at war with Islam.

“Whoa!” said the 20-year-old engineering student. “That’s nice.”

Almazrouei seemed to be the only one concerned with world affairs. Nearby, a group of post-club-goers chatted; other patrons thought Obama’s TV appearance had something to do with his recent visit to L.A.

Two years ago, when Almazrouei first came to America from the United Arab Emirates, he was detained by airport security because, he said, of his religion. Now he was listening to a U.S. president quote from the Koran.

“Wow, he has a good mind,” Almazrouei said. “You can tell he wants peace, the opposite of Bush.”

At closing time, Almazrouei stood close to the TV to hear the Arabic translation over the sound of dishes clanging in the kitchen. He left as soon as the speech ended. He might call his family in Abu Dhabi, he said. His grandfather and father follow politics. He wanted to hear what they thought of the speech. The older people in his country, he said, are proud of Obama’s middle name, Hussein.

“Muslims are proud to be Muslims,” he said. “Even with my car I’m trying to show I’m Arab.”

At the curb was parked his white Corvette. The license plate read: UAE BOY.

-- Raja Abdulrahim