Speeches

Remarks by U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Virginia Blaser
at the Eid Ul Fitr Dinner

Friday, September 25, 2009
Clemens House, Floreal

Honorable Dr. Ahmed Rashid Beebeejaun, Acting Prime Minister & Minister of Renewable Energy and Public Utilities,
Honorable Abu Twalib Kasenally, Minister of Housing and Lands,
Honorable Mohamed Asraf Dulull, Minister of Information and Communications Technology,
Honorable Members of Parliament,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Former Vice President Raouf Bundhun,
Distinguished Guests,
Friends,

As-Salam-Alaikum and Eid Mubarak.

Thank you to Minister Kasenally for your lovely words this evening. Mitch and I are so delighted to welcome you to Clemens House and are very pleased that you have joined us this evening to celebrate Eid Ul Fitr.

A lot has happened in the world since our last Eid dinner at Clemens House. One  change is a new President of the United States, a man who, in a speech five years ago, introduced himself as “a skinny kid with a funny name.” 

Some people were very surprised that an African-American could be elected President.  His election seemed all the more unexpected to many, since his middle name is Hussein and his grandfather was a Muslim. Those who know America well, perhaps, were less surprised. After all, as many of you know and as the pictures and words presented around us tonight show, Islam is a major, well-established religion in America, and in fact one of the fastest-growing religions in our country. As the President said in his iftar speech several weeks ago, and I quote:

“Tonight's iftar is a ritual that is also being carried out this Ramadan at kitchen tables and mosques in all 50 states. Islam, as we know, is part of America. And like the broader American citizenry, the American Muslim community is one of extraordinary dynamism and diversity -- with families that stretch back generations and more recent immigrants; with Muslims of countless races and ethnicities, and with roots in every corner of the world.”

“Indeed, the contributions of Muslims to the United States are too long to catalog because Muslims are so interwoven into the fabric of our communities and our country. American Muslims are successful in business and entertainment; in the arts and athletics; in science and in medicine. Above all, they are successful parents, good neighbors, and active citizens.”

The President pointed out how well Muslim Americans are “woven into the fabric of our country” by telling the stories of several of his Muslim guests that night—guests who included the first two Muslim members of  the United States Congress. He spoke of Nashala Hearn, from Muskogee, Oklahoma (near where I lived) who took a stand for the right to practice her religion – Our First Amendment – at an early age.  When her school district told her that she couldn't wear the hijab, she protested that it was a part of her religion. The Department of Justice stood behind her, and she won her right to practice her faith.  She even spoke to our Congress of her experience and inspired others throughout our country.

Now, although I am extremely proud of American freedoms, including the freedom to practice your religion, let me acknowledge, as the President said in his June 4 speech in Cairo, that there have been tensions between the United States and Muslims around the world. We can and should celebrate centuries of cooperation, but we also must acknowledge the conflicts throughout history.

It was a wonderful moment for me, listening to the President take issues head on, but even better was his effort to address this conflict. He spoke of a new beginning  between the United States and Muslims around the world, a relationship based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, the reflected on how hey overlap and share common principles, principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings... 
 
He ended with this: “That there must be a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another, and to seek common ground.”

We invited you here tonight to ask to share with you as you celebrate Eid, the second most holy feast of Islam, a time of great enjoyment, of well-deserved feasting, and much visiting among friends and families.  It is our privilege to rejoice with you during this special time of celebration. 

But I hope we can also take part together in the new beginning of mutual listening and learning that that President Obama mentions. You’ve been so kind to listen to my remarks tonight…and want to listen to you as well, not just on special occasions like tonight, but whenever you believe you can help us see where that common ground lies.

As the Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him) once said, “What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of human beings, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful, and to remove the sufferings of the injured.”  Those are the kind of actions, I am convinced, that will help us build a better world together, a world of greater tolerance and peace than we now have.

Thank you again for joining us.  Enjoy the rest of the evening!   And Eid Mubarak!