Charlie Bolden: Stealth Middle East Diplomat? (video) earlier post

"When I became the NASA Administrator - before I became the NASA Administrator - he charged me with three things: One was that he wanted me to re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, that he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with predominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering."

White House, NASA, Defend Comments About NASA Outreach to Muslim World Criticized by Conservatives, ABC, ABC

"In response to criticism, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said in a statement that "The President has always said that he wants NASA to engage with the world's best scientists and engineers as we work together to push the boundaries of exploration. Meeting that mandate requires NASA to partner with countries around the world like Russia and Japan, as well as collaboration with Israel and with many Muslim-majority countries. The space race began as a global competition, but, today, it is a global collaboration."

Keith's note: I cannot seem to find any statement on this topic at the White House website - or online at NASA.gov. Nor have I seen a confirmation from the White House that specifically confirms what Bolden said on Al Jazeera i.e. that "[President Obama] wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with predominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering."

Bolden was quite clear that there was specific direction from the President with regard to Muslim countries as one of the three things that President Obama charged him to do as NASA Administrator - with outreach to Muslim countries being "perhaps foremost" of the three.