[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 42 (Monday, October 24, 2005)]
[Pages 1552-1554]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the Iftaar Dinner

October 17, 2005

    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 Mohammed 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.

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    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.

    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've joined us today. I wish you a blessed 
Ramadan, and may God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at 7:01 p.m. in the State Dining Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to Imam Talal Eid, Islamic 
Institute of Boston.

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