THE
PRESIDENT: Please be seated. Thank you. Welcome to the White House. This
is the fifth year in a row that it's been my honor to host an Iftaar in
the State Dining Room.
Our distinguished guests represent the millions of Muslims that we're
proud to call Americans, and many Islamic nations are represented here
that America is proud to call friend. We welcome the representatives
from many countries with large Muslim populations. I want to thank you
all for coming to celebrate an honored tradition of the Muslim faith,
and wish you a, "Ramadan Mubarak."
I want to thank those in my administration who have joined us.
I want to thank the Imam for joining us today, and thank you for leading
us in prayer after these short remarks. I want to thank all the
ambassadors from the Organization of the Islamic Conference. I welcome
other members of the Diplomatic Corps. And I want to thank the Muslim --
American Muslim leaders who are with us today. Thanks for taking time
out to celebrate this important dinner.
Ramadan is the holiest time of the Muslim year. According to Islamic
teaching, this month commemorates the revelation of God's word to the
Prophet Muhammad in the form of the Koran. For more than a billion
Muslims, Ramadan is a time of heartfelt prayer and togetherness. It is a
time of fasting and personal sacrifice. It's a time to give thanks for
God's blessings through works of charity.
One Muslim leader said: "It's a national and Islamic obligation to
assist one's neighbors when they are in need." The American people saw
that spirit as we recovered from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The world
sees that spirit, that compassion of Islam, through the countless acts
of kindness following the recent earthquake in southeast -- in South
Asia.
America is fortunate to count such good-hearted men and women among
our fellow citizens. We have great respect for the commitment that all
Muslims make to faith, family, and education. And Americans of many
backgrounds seek to learn more about the rich tradition of Islam. To
promote greater understanding between our cultures, I have encouraged
American families to travel abroad, to visit with Muslim families. And I
have encouraged American families to host exchange students from the
Muslim world. I have asked young Americans to study the language and
customs of the broader Middle East. And for the first time in our
nation's history, we have added a Koran to the White House Library.
(Applause.)
All of us gathered tonight share a conviction that America must
remain a welcoming and tolerant land, in which our people are free to
practice any faith they choose. We reject every form of ethnic and
religious discrimination. As I said in my second Inaugural Address, we
cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the
same time.
We also share a common hope for the future -- that our children and
grandchildren will grow up in a safer and more peaceful world.
Delivering on that promise to future generations requires action from
our generation. We must stand confidently in the cause of freedom --
including the freedom of people everywhere to practice their faith in
peace. We must also firmly oppose all who commit evil in God's name. I
am grateful to the Muslim nations that have joined our coalition in the
war on terror -- including many nations that have been victims of terror
themselves.
As we work together to defeat the terrorists, we must be very
clear about the enemies we face. The killers who take the lives of
innocent men, women, and children are followers of a violent ideology
very different from the religion of Islam. These extremists distort the
idea of jihad into a call for terrorist murder against anyone who does
not share their radical vision, including Muslims from other traditions,
who they regard as heretics.
Their strategy will fail. Many Muslim scholars have already publicly
condemned terrorism, often citing chapter 5, verse 32 of the Koran,
which states that killing an innocent human being is like killing all of
humanity, and saving the life of one person is like saving all of
humanity. I appreciate those of you here who have joined these scholars
in rejecting violent extremists. And I believe the time has come for all
responsible Islamic leaders to denounce an ideology that exploits Islam
for political ends, and defiles your noble faith.
I have great confidence in the future of this nation, and in the
future of the Muslim world. I have been inspired by the courage of
people in Afghanistan and Iraq, where Muslims are celebrating Ramadan in
two of the world's newest democracies. I believe that people of every
religious and ethnic background have the right and the desire to be
free. And I believe that the spread of freedom and justice and tolerance
in the broader Middle East will lead to the peace that we all seek.
As we celebrate this special Iftaar, we renew the ties of friendship
that bind all those who trace their faith back to God's call on Abraham.
We recognize the many hopeful works we have achieved together. We look
forward to learning more from each other in the years ahead.
I'm so grateful that you joined us today. I wish you a blessed
Ramadan, and may God bless you all. (Applause.)