President Barack Obama's speech to the Muslim world Thursday was met with approval in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Muslims say they've never felt closer to the president than after his speech at Cairo University in Egypt. They say Obama's words can help them overcome the stereotypes they've had to confront.

In his speech, the president invoked the Quran and his rarely used middle name, Hussein, to declare that America has a common cause with Islam and never will be at war with the faith - an overture intently watched by the Muslim world and welcomed in unlikely quarters. An Iranian cleric called the president's speech "an initial step for removing misconceptions."

AP wire services were used in this report.