President Obama sees ‘time of spiritual renewal’ for Muslims
July 26, 2016
At a recent White House reception to mark the end of Ramadan, President Barack Obama paid tribute to Muslim values.
“For Muslims across the United States and around the world, this is a time of spiritual renewal -- a time to reaffirm your duty to serve one another, especially the least fortunate among us,” he said. “And it’s a time to reflect on the values that guide you in your faith -- gratitude, compassion and generosity.”
He continued, “And it’s a reminder that those values of Islam -- which comes from the word salaam, meaning peace -- are universal. They bind us all, regardless of our race or religion or creed, in a common purpose, and that is in our shared commitment to the dignity of every human being.”
President Obama added:
We’ve seen a spike in Muslim Americans, including children, being attacked, mosques being targeted, especially during the final, holiest days of Ramadan. And that shouldn’t be happening in the United States of America.
Singling out Muslim Americans, moreover, feeds the lie of terrorists like ISIL that the West is somehow at war with a religion that includes over a billion adherents. That’s not smart national security. In fact, it is ISIL and al Qaeda, and organizations like those that are waging war on Muslim communities, even during the holy month. And discriminating against Muslim Americans is also an affront to the very values that already make our nation great.
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Posted by: james-w-anderson8230 -
Jul. 27, 2016 9:31 AM ET USA
The Devil is the prince of lies and so are his followers, no matter what their rank in society. But we must pray for their conversion.
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Posted by: rjbennett1294 -
Jul. 26, 2016 5:49 PM ET USA
Obama - and people like him - will probably never learn. They will go on thinking "Islam is a religion of peace," even when it becomes glaringly obvious it is anything but that.
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Posted by: R. Spanier (Catholic Canadian) -
Jul. 26, 2016 12:22 PM ET USA
Islam from 'salaam' meaning peace? "The word 'islam' derives from the verb 'aslama', which means 'to submit' or 'to abandon oneself to'... It does not mean 'to put oneself in a state of peace', even if someone, for spiritual reasons, might offer this nonetymological meaning. Violence was clearly part of Muhammad's life... the first biographies of the founder are not named 'sira' but 'kitab al-maghazi', that is 'The Book of the Raids'." (111 Questions on Islam, Samir Khalil Samir, S.J., p.65-66)
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Jul. 26, 2016 8:54 AM ET USA
"The West is...at war with a religion that includes over a billion adherents." More pertinent words were never spoken. But let's check the record to be sure the man is addressing the right religion. Catholic hospitals closed down, religious orders under unceasing, merciless attack, millions of Catholics forced to pay for immorality through unwitting contributions to the United Way and "Obamacare," Catholic parishes closing by the dozens annually because of a rotten educational system. And Islam?
