THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Pre Secretary
August 13, 2010
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT IFTAR DINNER
State Dining Room
8:37 P.M.EDT
THE PRESIDENT:Good evening, everybody.Welcome.Please, have a seat.Well, welcome to the White House.To you, to Muslim Americans acro our country, and to more than one billion Muslims around the world, I extend my best wishes on this holy month.Ramadan Kareem.I want to welcome members of the diplomatic corps; members of my administration; and members of Congre, including Rush Holt, John Conyers, and Andre Carson, who is one of two Muslim American members of Congre, along with Keith Ellison.So welcome, all of you.
Here at the White House, we have a tradition of hosting iftars that goes back several years, just as we host Christmas parties and seders and Diwali celebrations.And these events celebrate the role of faith in the lives of the American people.They remind us of the basic truth that we are all children of God, and we all draw strength and a sense of purpose from our beliefs.
These events are also an affirmation of who we are as Americans.Our Founders understood that the best way to honor the place of faith in the lives of our people was to protect their freedom to practice religion.In the Virginia Act of Establishing Religion Freedom, Thomas Jefferson wrote that ―all men shall be free to profe, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion.‖The First Amendment of our Constitution established the freedom of religion as the law of the land.And that right has been upheld ever since.
Indeed, over the course of our history, religion has flourished within our borders precisely because Americans have had the right to worship as they choose — including the right to believe in no religion at all.And it is a testament to the wisdom of our Founders that America remains deeply religious — a nation where the ability of peoples of different faiths to coexist peacefully and with mutual respect for one another stands in stark contrast to the religious conflict that persists elsewhere around the globe.
Now, that\'s not to say that religion is without controversy.Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities — particularly New York.Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of Lower Manhattan.The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country.And the pain and the experience of suffering by those who lost loved ones is just unimaginable.So I understand the emotions that this iue engenders.And Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground.
But let me be clear.As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country.(Applause.)And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.This is America.And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable.The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is eential to who we are.The writ of the Founders must endure.
We must never forget those who we lost so tragically on 9/11, and we must always honor those who led the response to that attack — from the firefighters who charged up smoke-filled staircases, to our troops who are serving in Afghanistan today.And let us also remember who we’re fighting against, and what we’re fighting for.Our enemies respect no religious
freedom.Al Qaeda’s cause is not Islam — it’s a gro distortion of Islam.These are not religious leaders — they’re terrorists who murder innocent men and women and children.In fact, al Qaeda has killed more Muslims than people of any other religion — and that list of victims includes innocent Muslims who were killed on 9/11.
So that\'s who we’re fighting against.And the reason that we will win this fight is not simply the strength of our arms — it is the strength of our values.The democracy that we uphold.The freedoms that we cherish.The laws that we apply without regard to race, or religion, or wealth, or status.Our capacity to show not merely tolerance, but respect towards those who are different from us –- and that way of life, that quinteentially American creed, stands in stark contrast to the nihilism of those who attacked us on that September morning, and who continue to plot against us today.
In my inaugural addre I said that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakne.We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers.We are shaped by every language and every culture, drawn from every end of this Earth.And that diversity can bring difficult debates.This is not unique to our time.Past eras have seen controversies about the construction of synagogues or Catholic churches.But time and again, the American people have demonstrated that we can work through these iues, and stay true to our core values, and emerge stronger for it.So it must be — and will be — today.
And tonight, we are reminded that Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity.And Ramadan is a reminder that Islam has always been a part of America.The first Muslim ambaador to the United States, from Tunisia, was hosted by President Jefferson, who arranged a sunset dinner for his guest because it was Ramadan — making it the first known iftar at the White House, more than 200 years ago.(Applause.)
Like so many other immigrants, generations of Muslims came to forge their future here.They became farmers and merchants, worked in mills and factories.They helped lay the railroads.They helped to build America.They founded the first Islamic center in New York City in the 1890s.They built America’s first mosque on the prairie of North Dakota.And perhaps the oldest surviving mosque in America — still in use today — is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Today, our nation is strengthened by millions of Muslim Americans.They excel in every walk of life.Muslim American communities — including mosques in all 50 states — also serve their neighbors.Muslim Americans protect our communities as police officers and firefighters and first responders.Muslim American clerics have spoken out against terror and extremism, reaffirming that Islam teaches that one must save human life, not take it.And Muslim Americans serve with honor in our military.At next week’s iftar at the Pentagon, tribute will be paid to three soldiers who gave their lives in Iraq and now rest among the heroes of Arlington National Cemetery.
These Muslim Americans died for the security that we depend on, and the freedoms that we cherish.They are part of an unbroken line of Americans that stretches back to our founding; Americans of all faiths who have served and sacrificed to extend the promise of America to new generations, and to ensure that what is exceptional about America is protected — our commitment to stay true to our core values, and our ability slowly but surely to perfect our union.
For in the end, we remain ―one nation, under God, indivisible.‖And we can only achieve ―liberty and justice for all‖ if we live by that one rule at the heart of every great religion, including Islam — that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
So thank you all for being here.I wish you a bleed Ramadan.And with that, let us eat.(Applause.)
各位晚上好，各位请坐，欢迎大家来到白宫。值此伊斯兰神圣的斋月，我谨向在座的各位、向我们国家的全体穆斯林，以及向全世界10多亿穆斯林同胞送上我最美好的祝福——Ramadan kareem（斋月吉庆）。
我要感谢各位莅会的外交使节，以及本届政府成员和各位国会议员。包括拉什·霍尔特（Rush Holt），约翰·科尼尔斯（John Conyers），还有两位国会议员穆斯林安德烈·卡森（Andre Carson）和基斯·埃利森（Keith Ellison）。欢迎你们。
正如我们在这里举办圣诞聚会（基督教）、逾越节家宴（犹太教）和排灯节（印度教）庆祝活动的传统一样，在这白宫里我们举办穆斯林开斋晚宴的传统已经保持了数年之久。这些庆祝活动，在美国人民的生活当中扮演着信仰的角色，它时刻在提醒我们：我们都是上帝的子民，我们都是通过信仰来汲取力量与意志的支撑。
这些传统亦是对于我们美国人民的一种肯定，我们的先辈们意识到对待人民的信仰生活这一块，最好的方式就是竭力保护他们宗教信仰的自由。关于起草《弗吉尼亚宗教自由法》里边，托马斯·杰斐逊写道:“所有人应有对宗教事务表白、和据理力争保持他们的意见的自由。”《美国宪法第一修正案》将宗教自由作为一项国家律法收录在内，这项权利已经保留并且延续至今。
确实，在我们历史的长河中，正是由于美国给予了人民充分的宗教自由的权利，宗教在美国境内一度呈现出蓬勃发展的趋势。也包括无宗教信仰的自由。不同信仰的人们在这块土地上和平共存。
但这并不意味着宗教是没有争议的。最近的一段时间里，人们的目光聚焦在一些社区修建清真寺的问题上，特别是在纽约。现在，我们必须要承认并且需要关注有关曼哈顿低地的一些敏感话题。9/11事件的确是我们国家一个巨大的创伤，它给那些在事件中丧失亲人的人们带来的伤痛是无法想象的。所以，我理解并且包容人们因此而流露出的情绪，事实上，“归零地”（9/11之后美国人将这里称为Ground zero归零地）也是一片神圣的土地。
但是，请允许我说两句，作为一个公民，一个总统，我相信穆斯林跟这个国家里的任何公民一样，他们同样有权利去信奉他们所信仰的宗教（掌声）。这些权利包括遵照当地法律法规，他们有权在曼哈顿任何私有地方修建敬拜场所和社区中心。这——就是美国，我们对宗教自由的承诺是坚定不移、恒古不变的。我们欢迎任何不同信仰的人来到美国，他们绝对不会因为持不同信仰而被政府另眼相待，这——就是我们的原则，它代表着一个真实的美国，我们将会延着先辈的道路继续坚定地走下去。
我们永远不会忘记那些在9/11惨剧中逝去的人们，我们向那些曾经应对此次事件而做出牺牲的人们永远表示敬意；向那些冲锋在浓烟弥漫的楼梯间的消防员们表示敬意；向那些今天战斗在阿富汗前线的士兵们表示敬意。还有，让我们不要忘记我们与之战斗的敌手是谁，我们为何而战。我们的敌人不尊重宗教自由，基地组织的事业不是真正的伊斯兰，它已经被严重的扭曲和异化，他们也不是什么宗教领袖，他们只是一群杀害无辜的恐怖分子。事实上，基地组织所杀害的穆斯林是其他任何宗教所不及的，也包括在9/11事件中丧失生命的穆斯林。
所以，他们才是我们的敌人，我们要想赢得这场战争不仅仅是依靠我们军事装备的力量，还需要依靠我们价值观的力量。依靠的是我们所坚持的民主，还有我们珍视的自由，以及不分种族、不分信仰、不分贫富、不分地位，一律一视同仁的律法。
我曾经在我的就职演说中说过，我们的多元化遗产是一个优势，而不是弱势。美国是由基督徒与穆斯林、犹太教徒与印度教徒还有无神论者共同组成的一个国家。它吸收了各种语言和文化，是由来自于世界上每一个角落的语言和文化塑造而成的，而这种文化上的多样性难免会产生一些摩擦。这个问题不是我们这个时代所独有的，在过去的这段历史上，曾经也就修建犹太教堂和天主教堂而同样产生过诸多的争议。但是，美国人一次又一次的证明了，我们是能够解决这些问题的。保证我们的核心价值观的同时，我们在解决这些问题上表现的游刃有余。所以，今天我们同样能够解决它，一定能！
今天晚上，我们应该注意的是莱麦丹是一个拥有多样性的宗教的信仰庆典，它提醒我们伊斯兰从来都是属于美国文明的一部分。曾经在莱麦丹月，第一位突尼斯驻美利坚的穆斯林大使被杰佛逊总统作为贵客而款待，成为200年来首次在白宫举办的开斋晚宴。（掌声）
像其他许许多多的移民一样，穆斯林的后代们来到这里追求他们的未来，他们有的成为了农民，有的成为了商人。他们帮助我们建设铁路，为建设美国而添砖加瓦。在1980年，他们在纽约成立了第一个伊斯兰中心，并在北达科他州的大草原上建成了美国的第一座清真寺。美国现存最古老的，如今依旧在使用的清真寺应该是在赛大拉皮兹城的罗瓦清真寺。
今天，我们的国家因为数百万擅长于各行各业的穆斯林而更加繁荣昌盛。美国穆斯林共同体——包括全美50个州的清真寺同样也在为他们的邻居而服务着。美国的穆斯林警察，穆斯林消防员，穆斯林的积极响应者们忠实的守
卫着我们的社区。美国穆斯林教职人员言之凿凿的斥责恐怖主义与极端主义，一再强调伊斯兰倡导拯救生命，而不是剥夺生命。还有那些在军中服役的美国穆斯林军人们。下个星期在五角大楼举办的开斋晚宴上，我们将会授予三名军人以勋章，他们在伊拉克献出了宝贵的生命，如今安息在阿灵顿国家公墓的英雄们中间。
他们是为我们所崇尚的自由而亡，为我们所依赖的安全而亡。他们属于美国上溯到建国之初，永不间断的纽带的一部分。
最后，我们始终坚持“一个国家，上帝庇护下的，永不分割的”原则。
感谢大家莅临，祝福各位斋月吉庆，那么，让我们开始用餐吧。（掌声）
