Source:
TPMPresident Obama concluded his press conference today with a statement on the importance of protecting the rights of American Muslims. "
We don't differentiate between them and us," he said. "
It's just us. And that is a principle that I think is going to be very important for us to sustain."
Obama was asked about the controversial Park51 Islamic center, and said: "I think I've been pretty clear on my position here. And that is: This country stands for the proposition that all men and women are created equal, that they have certain inalienable rights, and one of those inalienable rights is to practice their religion freely."
"What that means," he continued, "is that if you could build a church on a site, you could build a synagogue on a site, if you could build a Hindu temple on a site, then
you should be able to build a mosque on the site."
"We've got millions of Muslim Americans, our fellow citizens in this country," Obama said. "They're going to school with our kids. They're our neighbors. They're our friends. They're our coworkers. And when we start acting as if their religion is somehow offensive, what are we saying to them?"
Read more:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/obama-defends-rights-of-american-muslims-we-dont-differentiate-between-them-and-us----its-just-us.php
Obama: Americans Shouldn't Turn on Each OtherSource:
CBSAsked about anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States, President Obama said at his press conference Friday that Americans "have to make sure that we don't start turning on each other."
"And I will do everything that I can as long as I'm president of the United States to remind the American people that we are one nation, under God," he continued. "And we may call that God different names, but we remain one nation. And, you know, as somebody who, you know, relies heavily on my Christian faith in my job, I understand, you know, the passions that religious faith can raise."
"But I'm also respectful that people of different faiths can practice their religion even if they don't subscribe to the exact same notions that I do, and that they are still good people and they are my neighbors and they are my friends and they are fighting alongside us in our battles," said Mr. Obama.
"And, you know, I want to make sure that this country retains that -- that sense of purpose," he added.
Full article:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20016073-503544.htmlOther important related comments he made during the press conference..."The idea that we would burn the sacred text of someone else's religion is contrary to what this country stands for. It is contrary to what this nation was founded on," Obama said.
"I am commander in chief and we are seeing today riots in Kabul, riots in Afghanistan that threaten our men and women in uniform. We have an obligation (to try and stop it) . . . You don't play games with that."
Obama was also asked why, nine years after the 9/11 attacks, suspicion towards Muslim is once again on the rise. The president attributed the sentiment, in part, to the difficult economic times in the United States.
"I think that at a time when the country is anxious generally, and going through a tough time then fears can surface, suspicions, divisions can surface in a society. So I think that plays a role in that."
From:
http://www.canada.com/business/Obama+tells+Americans+with+Muslim+faith/3506252/story.htmlThis cannot be repeated often enough. It is not going to be a Mosque.As Daisy Khan stated to Christiane Amanpour on "This Week", they are building an Islamic Community Center based on a similar concept as the
http://www.jccmanhattan.org/">Jewish Community Center in Manhattan.
AMANPOUR: Rabbi Joy Levitt, how did it come about that the two of you were working together on this?
LEVITT: Well, we got a call from Daisy when they began to think about this project, and said we want to build an MCC just like the JCC.
AMANPOUR: A Muslim community center.
LEVITT: That's right. And the JCC in Manhattan was imagined in 1990 and built its building -- actually we opened two days after 9/11. And have been thriving; about 2,500 people walk into our doors every day. We were really honored to be able to unpack what we've learned, some of the things that we...
AMANPOUR: Well, what was it meant to be, the Islamic center? Is it mosque with a dome and minarets and loud calls to prayer five times a day? What is it?
KHAN: Well, all religions Americanize over time. They go from a place of worship to a place of service, and community centers have been developed by Christian communities like YMCA, and the Jewish community has developed the JCC. And Muslim community is inevitably going to also develop such a center.
So when I visited Joy Levitt and I saw the JCC and I said, this is what we have to do. So it is a community center, but it also has a prayer space within it because it would meet the needs of the Muslim community's need to worship on Fridays.
AMANPOUR: And what about it would be the community center?
KHAN: Well, there will be 500-seat auditorium; there will be a swimming pool; there will be, you know, athletic facilities. There will be cooking classes. There will be schools, you know, small education forums, conferences, and it's basically become a place where ideas can be exchanged, but tolerance, mutual respect can also be extended.
Full transcript:
http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/week-transcript-karzai-khan-levitt/story?id=11454631&page=3Update since that interview:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4531798">Imam behind NYC Islamic community center says it will include 'prayer spaces' for other faiths
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