[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19743]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                       THE RECENT FOCUS ON ISLAM

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, during this time of trouble, since September 
11, there has been a lot of attention focused on Islam. I can say that 
I have had some exposure to this religion. It is a religion that builds 
great character. It is a religion that has a very fine health code. It 
is basically a very good religion. My wife, who has had some illness in 
her time, has two physicians who are Muslims. They are wonderful men. 
They are close friends. One is an internist and one is a surgeon. Her 
family physician--the person who takes care of her more often than 
not--is Dr. Anwar. Her surgeon is Dr. Khan. I have been in their homes 
on several occasions, going back almost 20 years --well, more than 
that, 25 years. We are social friends. I have had the pleasure of going 
to their beautiful new mosque in Las Vegas, where these two men and 
their families worship.
  We in America, this past 4 weeks, have come to better understand this 
religion. But we have a lot more that we need to understand. I received 
a letter--and I am sure other Senators received the same letter--which 
I would like to read into the Record. It is a letter addressed to me, 
dated September 14, 2001. It says:

       Honorable Senator: We are writing this letter in light of 
     the horrific tragedy that struck America on September 11, 
     2001. We would like to extend our heartfelt sympathies and 
     condolences to families of all civilians and rescue workers 
     who lost their loved ones in the tragedy. May Allah bless 
     them and give them courage during this time of grief and 
     extreme sadness. We also pray for the steady and early 
     recovery of individuals who suffered injuries as a result of 
     the incident.
       We would like you to know that although perpetrators of 
     such heinous crimes more often than not justify these acts in 
     the name of religion, we do not support their ideas. Islam 
     for instance, condemns senseless acts of violence against 
     fellow human beings. As the Qur'an so aptly states in Chapter 
     5, vs. 32, ``For that cause we decreed for the children of 
     Israel that whosoever killeth a human being for other than 
     manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he 
     had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it 
     shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind.'' All in 
     all, Islam values human life and applauds its preservation 
     rather than its destruction. It is a religion that preaches 
     peace, love, justice and tolerance for people from all walks 
     of life.
       Moreover, we would like to clarify a misconception that 
     many people harbor in their minds about Islam. Islam is not a 
     religion that was founded by Prophet Muhammad rather, it is a 
     continuation of the earlier Revelations that were made to 
     Prophets Abraham (Ibrahim), David (Dawood), Moses (Musa) and 
     Jesus (Issa) in the Torah and the Bible, Prophet Mohammed was 
     the last Prophet though whom the Final Revelation was made--
     that Final Revelation is the Qur'an. On that note, please 
     accept the enclosed copy of the Holy Qur'an as a token of our 
     support.
  I do have that and I have read part of that since having received it.
  The letter goes on:

       Finally, we would like to applaud the tireless rescue 
     efforts that have been underway for the past few days and 
     also pray for all those who are involved in this mission and 
     wish them every success.

  Signed by Aunali Khalfan, who is with the Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, 
Inc., based in Elmhurst, NY.
  I believed it was appropriate to spread across the Record of this 
Senate this very thoughtful letter that I received hoping it will lead 
to a better understanding of this very fine religion which 6 million 
Americans follow, the teachings of Islam.
  I ask unanimous consent--I see my friend from Alaska here--that I be 
allowed 10 more minutes to complete a statement on another subject.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection?
  Hearing no objection, the Senator from Nevada is recognized for 10 
additional minutes.

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