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Skriven 2005-10-17 23:33:16 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0510175) for Mon, 2005 Oct 17
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President Hosts Iftaar Dinner
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 17, 2005

President Hosts Iftaar Dinner
The East Room

President's Remarks
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˙˙˙˙˙In Focus: Ramadan 2005

7:01 P.M. EDT

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.)

END 7:08 P.M. EDT

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