[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 47 (Monday, November 27, 2000)]
[Pages 2922-2923]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Videotape Remarks on the Observance of Ramadan

 November 22, 2000

    It is a privilege to deliver again this year, on behalf of the 
American people, a message of friendship and respect to Muslims around 
the world as they begin the sacred month of Ramadan.
    As America's 6-million-member Muslim community grows in numbers and 
prominence, Americans of every religious tradition are learning more 
about the origins and meaning of Islam--that on ``the Night of Power,'' 
the Angel Gabriel appeared to the Prophet Muhammad and revealed to him 
the first verses of the Koran; that the Koran declares that Ramadan was 
the month Allah's words were sent down and so should be spent in 
fasting.
    The rigors undertaken by devout Muslims inspire respect for Islam 
among people of all faiths. And this can bring hope of greater 
understanding for good will. It can overflow old boundaries when 
wholehearted devotion to one's own faith is matched with a devout 
respect for the faith of others.
    That is why we welcome Islam in America. It enriches our country 
with Islam's teachings of self-discipline, compassion, and commitment to 
family. It deepens America's respect for Muslims here at home and around 
the world, from Indonesia to Pakistan, the Middle East, and Africa.
    We all had hoped that when this month's crescent Moon first appeared 
and the month of Ramadan was announced, fasting would begin in a time of 
peace. Yet, tragically, violence continues, and lives are being lost in 
the land that is holy to Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. For all 
Americans, these deaths are a source of great sorrow. The Muslim 
chaplain at Georgetown University, where I attended college, has told me 
of a verse in the Koran in which Allah tells us that He created nations 
and tribes so we may know one another, not so we might despise one 
another.
    As the fasting of Ramadan begins, I pray people of all faiths may 
come to appreciate this precious wisdom of the Koran. And when next 
month's Moon appears and the Muslim

[[Page 2923]]

world celebrates Eid al-Fitr, we may also celebrate the revival of our 
hopes for peace throughout the world.
    Ramadan Kareem.

Note: The address was videotaped at approximately 11:15 a.m. in the 
Roosevelt Room for later broadcast on the Department of State American 
Embassy Television Network. A tape was not available for verification of 
the content of this address.