The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

I want to join in expressing appreciation for this opportunity we have, and that all of us have come together tonight. The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights is the broadest- based organization dealing with civil rights in the United States. And we cherish our differences, we appreciate our diversity, and we see strength in all that we do. So we appreciate the opportunity we all have to come together.

And as we are here tonight, just two weeks after that infamous attack on our country, it is a time when we appreciate all the more, the people that we are, the diversity that we have, and that we come together to say, "we are united and we will not be separated, we will not be divided, we will not turn on each other, we will deal with the problems that exist but we will hold each other in safety as we work together."

This isn't new to us. Some sixty years ago, we came together when there was an attack at Pearl Harbor and there is no way that I could stand in this place without expressing appreciation for what I learned in my lifetime, through the YWCA as I visited my Japanese American friends that worked in Tule Lake. I just feel that this truly is, I think Rabbi Saperstein said, that this is hallowed ground.

And from that experience, we gained kind of a new impetus of the importance of working to eliminate racism and to deal with the problems that became so clear. And maybe this is the time that, now, we must go further to eradicate intolerance, to be able to turn our anger into strength and into positive force for action. We are all in this together. There are no "we's" and no "they's," it is all us, we are in it together and as a nation we are grieving together, we are thinking of our loss but I also think we have to think about our blessings and what we have to preserve: our little gains that we have made in civil rights, our commitment to freedom, to civil liberties, to justice, to equality. These are the things that have bound us together as we have tried to work together.

And, so, perhaps this is another moment that we will all cherish because it reminds us that we all have to be united. We all have to work together as one but we also have to be a united voice against the bigotry and intolerance and one that speaks out to help our country work more closely to be what we know we can be. And that we as Americans are not just cherishing the things that we have but we are cherishing the ideals that we have as persons and that we have as people.

And we commit ourselves from this time to work together to see that those things that we believe so deeply, that our country and the world are strengthened. So we are pleased to be here and I think that we all thank each other for the opportunity to be together with each other and the strength that we get. Always remember what Dr. King said, that we needed to be together because we all know that "we will either live together as brothers and sisters or we will perish as fools" and our choice is very clear as we are all here tonight. Thank you.

Thank you Jonathan, thank you Wade. I think it is both fitting and appropriate that the words from two organizations that each of you lead, are a big part of why we are here and why we should be here in this time in this place: one is "community" and the other is "leadership." So I thank both of you for the sense of community and the leadership that you brought in this time and in this place, in this fitting. It is appropriate. Thank you both of you.

On September 11, two weeks ago today, our country was brutally attacked. These attacks are not simply the attacks against our people and our buildings but they were also attacks on our values, on our democratic way of life and on the freedom that we value and that we share. These attacks have challenged our sense of security and our sense of being able to bring and to achieve justice. President Bush has said, and said pretty emphatically that we will meet these dual defense and law enforcement challenges. So have the Attorney General Aschroft, and the Director of FBI, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense. They are right; we will.

But I would suggest to you though, that also these attacks presented us with some other pretty significant challenges. They are challenges to our commitment to one another, to our commitment to treat each other with decency and with respect, and in that all Americans, no matter how they may look, how they may dress or where we may be from or where we may worship if we choose to worship at all. We are challenged by the event of two weeks ago, to treat all Americans with decency and respect and also to treat all of our guests and all of our visitors to America with the same level of decency and the same level of respect. These, too, are important challenges we face. These, too, are important parts of our mission.

The attacks of two weeks ago also challenge to our commitment to the rule of law. They test our commitment to protecting all of our people from violence and from threat of violence, especially violence that's directed at people because of their race or because of their background or because of their faith or religious traditions.

I am told that, I must confess that I don't know for sure that it is true. But I am told that I should say that one of those things you go through life, you hear that sounds right, that has the rings of truth about it.

I am told that at least in one of the many Chinese dialects, I don't recall whether it is Cantonese or Mandarin, but in one of these dialects, the word for "crisis" has at least two meanings or aspects or iterations to it. The first involves an element of danger or harm. That doesn't come any surprise to us. That is what we often associate "crisis" with. In fact, keeping with our general understanding of the "crisis," what it suggests, but the other however, also embraces the concept of "opportunity". "Opportunity!" Think about that! It is pretty interesting, isn't it?

With crisis, there is obviously, easily recognizable "danger" but also perhaps a more subtle expression of "opportunity" of the possibility for growth, of the possibility of meeting challenges, especially the challenges that may be of the nature or of the kind or a degree or magnitude that we haven't faced before.

Friends, the world is watching us. And importantly, perhaps more importantly, our children and young people are watching us. They are watching us to see how we would respond to the outrage, to see how we would handle crises, to see how we treat each other, how we treat one another in a time of real crises.

The attacks on America, the attacks really on humanity, are testing us. They are testing all of us. They are testing the rule of law and our commitment to the rule of law, to our commitment to each other, all of which are being tested. Our sense of dignity and our sense of decency and our sense of resolve are being tested and I suggest to you that these challenges and these tests are the ones that we will meet. They are the ones that we will pass.

Let me assure that everyone of my friends here today, and every person who is within the sounds of the voices that are assembled here today that we will not allow a small minority of people who have chosen to respond the terrorism with senseless violence of their own. We won't allow those people to define us. They will not define us. They are not us. They are not what we are about. They are not what America is about.

We won't let them set the stage. We will not let them be what America is and what Americans are. We will not allow them to heap shame on top of terror. That would be wrong, and that would be un-American.

The President, the Attorney General and the FBI Director Muller have repeatedly said that they will not, we will not, the United States of America will not allow the people of America to be targeted for violence and hate because of their race, their religion or their national origin. This message is clear. That clear message is that violence, especially in these times, especially in this place, and especially that violence that is motivated by bias and hatred, it will not go unanswered; it will not go unpunished.

In America, difference is our strength; it is not our weakness. Although our differences can on occasions, on many occasions, has been the cause of conflicts in the market place of ideas that we Americans enjoy. When the chips are down and they are certainly down now. They are certainly down now than they have ever been down. When the chips are down, when the core values that we share are in our democratic, freedom-loving way of life is most challenged, most challenged. That is when these differences are our strength.

Our very rich, ethnic and racial, religious and linguistic heritages ultimately do not separate us. In fact, that diversity is part of the glue, the superglue that holds us together in times of struggle.

We thrive when we embrace diversity. We who are charged with enforcing our nation's laws understand that. Let me assure you we understand that, we know that and I promise you, I assure you that over the course of the next coming days, weeks and months, we will lift up the rule of law to preserve, to protect and to defend this enduring feature of our nation, i.e. our difference and our diversity.

This is part of our cause; this is part of our mission. We can't fail in that mission; we won't fail in that mission. To quote E. B White: "At times, darkness descends. But in moments of the greatest darkness, there can be the greatest light."

Let this be the occasion for light. Let there be light.

You know, when I first spoke to Wade and heard that this [vigil] might be done I was so privileged to be asked.

We are here as members of the United states of America and I like to think that as terrible as this is that it has united us probably more than at any time in my lifetime. I look at my grandparents, Italian and Irish Catholic immigrants and how they would feel to know that their grandson was honored to share this podium with distinguished representatives of the Jewish and Muslim and Sikh faiths, as well as my own Christian faith. Because religious faith can and should be a source of healing and strength. Maybe all of us would be better off if we listened to the children.

And we should not allow, whatever our faith is, for it to be perverted into a source of hate or something that divides us, one against the other.

We've seen how people can come together and we have also seen even in our grief in this nation that we can make the mistake as Americans to direct our anger sometimes at each other. And many Arab and Muslim and South Asian Americans have borne the misdirected anger and hate that a small minority among our citizens and we should know that this really is wrong in our country—aside from being a hate crime, it is wrong. And I am so pleased that our President and Attorney General and the leaders of our Congress of both parties have spoken out against this.

Think of what we are, think of where we are, think of this monument. Now, we made a terrible mistake back in the forties when we locked up Japanese Americans because we thought somehow it would protect our nation. It didn't protect our nation, we saw a politically motivated Supreme Court actually damage our nation by saying this was right and allowed "it wasn't right, it wasn't allowed" it spoke against our freedoms, and if somehow we strike back at our own, American, people, we allow hate and prejudice to come out against any of our Americans the terrorists have gotten a victory. It's our freedom, it's our defense of liberty and religion and individuality that we should cherish.

I like to say that the First Amendment really protects us more than anything. It allows us to say what we want to say, it protects us to practice whatever religion we want, or none, if we want. The real risk to America is in our souls, that we not allow terrorists to sweep away the ideals of Washington and Jefferson and Lincoln, if we remain true to our Constitution.

Buildings can be replaced; we can mourn our dead and move on. But if we give up our freedoms, our Constitution, if we turn against each other, what have we gained? In fact, we have lost. Trial by fire can refine us or it can coarsen us, if we hold to our ideals and values then it strengthens us. We have united all of the free world, all civilized nations to join together with us. Those who attacked us hate what is best about America—our diversity and our freedom.

More than ever, we must preserve our diversity and our freedom—anything less, would dishonor those people who were lost in the attacks of September 11. Let us not dishonor them, let us cherish each other.

Peace be with all of you.

So many of us, in many religious traditions, greet each other with an expression of peace. In my particular faith community, we are told that peacemakers are blessed.

Our God of perfect peace can have no part of violence and cruelty. To profess the God of Peace, we must follow the way of peace.

We must repudiate acts of ethnic and religious intolerance. Arab Americans, Muslims, and those who merely appear as if they are, are our sisters and brothers, part of our national family. Attacks on them are attacks on us.

Now more than ever, we must reach out to our neighbors. Muslim, Sikh, or Jewish, with concrete acts of fellowship and support.

Each of us, I believe, should look for opportunities to reassure them, to visit with them, to express our friendship. To help with simple things, such as accompanying one another to the store or the school.

We can also be peacemakers in the language we use. We often hear well-meaning people say, "Well most Muslims aren't that way."

What we should be saying is, "Muslims are not this way."

How uncomfortable would we Christians feel if we heard people say, "Well most Christians don't believe in terrorism"? As a Christian I want to answer.

Christianity and terrorism are incompatible, and I am sure that that is the way Muslims feel about their faith as well.

Over the last week, the United States Conference of Catholic Christians have received expressions of condolence, sorrow, solidarity, and deep love for the American people from every continent of the world.

More than 65 National Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Dioceses have written, all echoing Pope John Paul II's confidence, and I quote:

"That in this time of trial, all Americans will find in their religious faith, a source of renewed hope, and the impetus for an ever more determined resolve to reject the ways of hatred and violence."

Peace be with you, it is more than a greeting. Peace be with you, it is our hope. Peace be with you, it is our fervent prayer.

May those of us who are at peace with one another hold fast to the good that unites all of us, and may those who are enemies forget their hatred and be healed.

Thank You.

Well, I would greet with the greeting of peace. May God's peace be with you!

And let me tell you also that among the names of God in our literature, peace is one of his names. So I greet you with the name of Peace from the God who created all of us.

I wanted to start my notes with reciting the opening chapter of our Holy Book, the Koran.

In the name of the All Mighty God, the most gracious and the most merciful, praise be to the All Mighty God, the cherisher and the sustainer of all of the world, the most gracious and the most merciful, the master of the day of judgment, you, do we worship, and your aid we seek, show us all the great path, the path of those upon whom you have honored your grace, not the path of those upon whom you wrath or you let them go straight.

Here I stand in front of you as a naturalized American, born in Africa, learned Arabic as the mother tongue, and became faith as a Muslim but overall, I became an American. I have all those things that hate-mongers look for - race, ethnicity, different faith - but I have something that I am proud of that binds us all together. We are all citizens of the land of the free, the home of the brave. And we are all together standing here, today, to show that the American ideals that all men are created equal; that all men have the right to pursue happiness in this world and in the hereafter, in the way they like it.

This country, which started as "a Christian Country," became the most diversified religious country in the world and that is the sign of its strength. We want to tell those hate-mongers that diversity, if taken right, gives us strength because it brings all cultures. It brings to us. It makes America the capital of the world, not just because of economic power, of military power but also of moral power, of cultural power. Also shows everybody else, that all of the humanity, we believe, all created from Adam and Eve, and Adam and Eve have no color. We don't know what color they wear. So all of our colors come all from Adam and Eve. And those who think, because of our color, we could be singled out for hate, or because of our faith, we could be singled out for hate, we could be singled out for faith, we tell them that faith does not know hate. I have studied all faiths, and I haven't seen any faith that there is an element of hate in it. Faith brings people together to love each other, to do that which is right, to love your neighbors, and to work together for the humanity because the world is a global village. It is so small.

It cannot, it cannot condone the act of those crazy people who did their act against the World Trade center and Pentagon, but at the same time, it cannot condone the acts of those people, in our amidst, who think that they will really get justice by attacking their fellow citizens.

This is not the America that we love. We love the America that will respect every one of its diversity and we love America that has shown us, in the last two weeks, so much expression of compassion, of support. Even our neighbors in New York Avenue, the Corporate America, they sent us flowers, and said that we are if you need us, standing with you.

And I want to thank all those who work together, for us here to show America that has not been really defeated by the terrorists. We should not show the terrorists that they have done any harm to our society. As a matter fact, they have shown us how much united we are. And they have shown us how great is this country - the land of the free, the home of the brave.

And let's us all remember in a silent moment those who have lost their lives and pray to the All Mighty God that he takes care of them, takes care of the wounded, and takes care of the families who lost their loved ones, and bring us all together to do what he told us in the Koran.

And I'll conclude with that verse, He said "all people, all mankind were created from the soil, from a single pair of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may get to know each other, verily in the eyes of the All Might God, the best among you are those do the righteous deeds in this world, and Amen."

Thank you all. May Allah bless all of us! Thank you.

Good afternoon,

Certainly, in this terrible tragedy America has discovered us, although we have been here for the last 100 years, but now people have found us. I would like to start with my comments with a prayer from our tradition. This is when one of the founders of the faith had given up a gift

(Prayer in Arabic)

Oh god, every heart is burning with the fire of separation with you, from the fire of separation from each other. You be gracious upon us and embrace us with your love and accept us from each door, whichever door to which that person comes to you, whether it is a Christian door, whether it is an Islamic door, whether its is a Hindu or a Sikh door. Please embrace them. That is one grace I ask from you.

This is a prayer from every thick heart who is part or partial of this great nation at this difficult time. The attack on America on Tuesday, September 11, is an assault on every peace-loving American. Every fiber of the colorful and diverse tapestry of America has felt the pain of this tragedy. Americans of all religious cultural and ethnic backgrounds agonized as we watched and witnessed the nightmare unfold before our eyes. It has struck us at our hearts and the soul of America has been wounded. We have reflected in stunned silence, cried and prayed for the victims and their families and our nation. In the emotion of the moment some of us have expressed their anger and directed their rage at Arab-Americans, Muslims, Sikhs and others in many cities across this nation.

That is wrong. We Americans are the champions and the builders of the monuments to human rights and human dignity. America is the guiding light to human civilization with a promise and firm commitment to just treatment for all citizens. Any act of violence against innocent citizens of any background, different than one's own, is unconscionable and must not be tolerated. Our anger must not be indiscriminately directed at our brothers and sisters of other faiths and cultural traditions. The criminals and their accomplices alone are guilty and must be punished and brought to justice.

I was invited by President Bush as a member of a religious delegation, which met him on the day of his speech to the U.S. Congress. We emphasized and president concurred with us that America must seek justice. America cannot allow to be revengeful and that is true for every citizen of this great country. I do not think any group in America felt a greater sense of outrage and betrayal at the dastardly attacks on September 11, than did American Sikhs.

Not only did the suicide bombers destroy thousands of innocent lives but they also struck a heavy blow at the bonds of trust between American people. Thus at the present time all too many misguided or unthinking people link Sikhs to those who stand accused of these horrific acts simply because Sikhs where turbans and beards.

The result has been over 200 attacks on Sikhs nationwide. An elderly Sikh man was attacked with a baseball bat in Richmond Hill, NY. A Sikh priest who is here among us was chased by two trucks on I-495 beltway almost causing an accident, endangering his life. Similarly, there have been incidents of violence at the Sikh house of worships. In Cleveland, in California, and also another priest had an alcohol thrown at him in Fairfax, Virginia and you all have heard that a Sikh was killed in Mesa, Arizona. Many in the Sikh community have been the object of hostile swears or curses. Others have been spat upon.

It is very interesting that all of those people who have been attacked during these times were doing an act of compassion when they were being attacked. I know this gentleman, my priest, when he was on his way to donate blood at the Fairfax hospital, that is when they attacked or they chased him. I know that same person who got killed in Mesa, Arizona, was calling all morning to his Sikh friends and others to be very careful and while he did not know his own fate and when he went to his own gas station getting the landscaping work done at his gas station he was struck down

All of this is so ironic. If there I any group in this country who stands for the exact opposite of the ignorance and fanaticism displayed by the September 11th hijackers, it is the Sikhs. The Sikh religion believes in mutual tolerance and understanding. It believes that true and spiritual insight can be found in all religions. From its earliest days, it has championed gender equality.

And this symbol of a turban and beard, it has a very, very deep spiritual meaning in our tradition. The hair represents the natural flow of life and spirituality and the presence of a turban on our head is a symbol that we are constantly paying respect to God amidst us. That spiritual meaning, this turban has stood as a symbol for people who have given life for others, to save others throughout our history.

And now this same symbol, it is by some acts of the media, I cannot blame them, but it is the pictures, which have been shown again and again on the television, people are thinking any persons wearing a turban is somehow related to being a terrorist. Sikhs have been in America for 100 years where they are known; they are respected for their intelligence and hard work. There are Sikh doctors and lawyers, Sikh computer experts, Sikh farmers and Sikh taxi drivers. I am sure that some of you have been given rides by Sikh taxi drivers around this town. Sikhs are an asset to the United States and it is to be hoped that recognition of this truth will soon prevail over the views of those who purvey fear of people who look different.

Innocent Americans of any faith, culture, tradition, and ethnicity must not be targeted and victimized. Maybe we must fall as a nation to educate ourselves about all Americans as we continue to shape our vision of a more perfect union, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Together we can heal our nation, rebuild our broken spirit, and create unimagined miracles for our beloved nation. We must assure a spirit of tolerance, dignity in our diverse tradition, and safeguard our beautiful and colorful tapestry of faiths, traditions and cultures, as a blessed national treasure. I would like to end my comments with a wonderful story in this whole tragedy.

There is a guy in California, he was on his way to buy flag to display at the big temple in California, when he came back home, he heard the news that there was a fire bomb a bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown in his house and that bottle had hit his three year old son on his head. If that fire had not extinguished from this bottle the child would have died. When the reporters came and asked him what happened to his child, what is your comment towards what has happened to you? And his answer was, which makes me sometimes cry, that he said that "I will always enjoy my American freedom and I will do it with a turban on my head."

I thank you for inviting me and I especially want to thank the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the Justice Department for being so welcoming and embracing us at this time.

Thank you so much.

Lets me just say this: that we welcome you to the memorial that was built because something very similar to what is happening today happened to our Japanese-Americans during World War II. I want you to know that because of people, like those of you who are represented, who are part of the groups who helped pass the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, we were able to get reparations, we were able to build this memorial. So, as Senator Inouye said "This will never happen again to any other American."

We would also like to say, as I run quickly along, that as I was going through all the different channels the other night and I was watching C-SPAN and CNN and I turned on to Miss America. You know, I usually don't watch Miss America because I could never be Miss America. I was too short. I was too flat. Anyway, there were many very beautiful girls. There was one girl representing Washington, D.C. She was twirling a baton and what she said was "I shall survive."

I think that everything, all the horrendous pictures of what happened during that time in New York and in Pentagon, the spirit and the feeling of this young girl, showing with her skill that this nation will survive.

I would like to also say that this is a time to remember to those of you who are Sikhs, Arabs and Muslims that you are among good people here. You are among people who helped us in our times of need. You know I want to say "thank you" to you because black community taught all minority groups a lot.

I remember when I became a girl, not a little girl, but a girl who's becoming someone kind of aware of things, we knew Martin Luther King, who had a dream. We knew about Harriet Tubman, who has a plan. We knew about Mohammad Ali, who had courage. We knew about Malcolm X, who had guts. We thought all of these things are part of the heritage that we all will share to make this a greater America. So I thought a crane that is still struggling to free herself despite the barbwires of oppression.

I say to our American friends from wherever you are; be you Sikh, be you Muslim, be you Arab, you know that now your time, now your time to show America that you are patriotism is going to be, by showing that you understand the civil rights, you understand the democratic way of life, and we are all partners in making this a more perfect Union.

Thank you so much for coming.