In spite of the polls, the fact is that American Muslims are very happy and they thrive in this country. Feisal Abdul Rauf More Quotes by Feisal Abdul Rauf More Quotes From Feisal Abdul Rauf Any organization or any individual that targets civilians and kills them for political agenda is a terrorist organization. Feisal Abdul Rauf target political organization The fundamental idea which defines a human being as a Muslim is the declaration of faith: that there is a creator, whom we call God - or Allah, in Arabic - and that the creator is one and single. And we declare this faith by the declaration of faith, where we... bear witness that there is no God but God. Feisal Abdul Rauf fundamentals bears ideas I am a supporter of the state of Israel. Feisal Abdul Rauf supporter states israel I'm not an agent from any government, even if some of you may not believe it. I'm not. I'm a peacemaker. Feisal Abdul Rauf agents government believe It is part of my responsibility as a bridge builder to speak the truth about what's great about America, what we've done right, and what our less glorious moments. And many people feel that the Iraq adventure, for example, has been one of our less glorious moments. Feisal Abdul Rauf iraq responsibility adventure Fanaticism and terrorism have no place in Islam. Feisal Abdul Rauf fanaticism islam terrorism I as a Muslim want you, as a Christian, to really be a perfect Christian. I want my Jewish friends to be perfect Jews, to live according to the highest principles of what it means to be a Jew, to be a Christian, to be a Muslim. Feisal Abdul Rauf christian perfect mean The American principles of democracy expresses the deepest values of the Sharia both structurally and in the government... Sharia requires us Muslims anywhere to abide by the law of the land. Feisal Abdul Rauf government land law The thing about the Islamic situation is we don't have a church. We don't have an ordained priesthood, which makes it a little complicated. But we do have a tradition of scholarship, and rules of scholarship. It's very much like any field of knowledge. Feisal Abdul Rauf islamic church littles The ultimate vision is to instate in the Muslim world the notion of multiculturalism, which is part of our heritage and history, part of the fundamental, mainstream ideals of Islam. Feisal Abdul Rauf islam heritage vision There are individuals who are working very hard to promote fear and antagonism towards Islam and Muslims in this country. It's fueled, in part, by the first African-American president that we have. Obama's father was a Muslim and people have used this to arouse hostility against him. Feisal Abdul Rauf working-very-hard country father I condemn everyone and anyone who commits acts of terrorism. And Hamas has committed acts of terrorism. Feisal Abdul Rauf commit terrorism committed What's right with America and what's right with Islam have a lot in common. At their highest levels, both worldviews reflect an enlightened recognition that all of humankind shares a common Creator - that we are, indeed, brothers and sisters. Feisal Abdul Rauf islam brother america The Islamic method of waging war is not to kill innocent civilians, but it was Christians in World War II who bombed civilians in Dresden and Hiroshima, neither of which were military targets. Feisal Abdul Rauf military christian war In the 20th century, the Muslim world created a vision of religious nationalism. Turkey, for example, had to be ethnically Turkish. Kurds, Armenians, other minorities didn't have a place in such a vision of a nation-state. Feisal Abdul Rauf turkeys vision religious I've spoken with friends who are rabbis and priests and we've agreed that most people have an emotional attachment to their faith, a desire to fulfill their spiritual longings, but they are not experts in understanding the history of their religion. Feisal Abdul Rauf emotional attachment spiritual I worked as a teacher in the public school system in New York City for several years, and I was a victim of the layoffs, you know, in the mid-'70s. And then I worked as a sales engineer for a company in New Jersey that was selling industrial filtration equipment. Feisal Abdul Rauf new-york teacher school In Malaysia, where Western culture was extremely influential, I'd grown up listening to Elvis and the Beatles and watching American movies. People wanted to be like Americans. In contrast, when I got here, I saw prosperous middle-class American college students wanting to somehow join the Third World. Feisal Abdul Rauf college class people We are Americans. We - we - we are - we are doctors. We are investment bankers. We are taxi drivers. We are store keepers. We are lawyers. We are - we are part of the fabric of America. And the way that America today treats its Muslims is being watched by over a billion Muslims worldwide. Feisal Abdul Rauf doctors america bankers I have never made a threat. I've never made a threat, never expressed a threat, never - I've never - I would never threaten violence ever, because I am a man of peace, dedicated to peace. Feisal Abdul Rauf violence made men
