WASHINGTON, 12 September — President Bush met with leaders of the Arab-American and Muslim American community on Tuesday, using the eve of the Sept. 11 anniversary as an opportunity to urge Americans to shun bigotry against Muslims.
"It’s important for our fellow Americans to understand that Americans of Muslim faith share the same grief that we all share from what happened to our country; that they’re just as proud of America as I am proud of America; that they love our country as much as I love our country," President Bush said during the meeting held at the Afghan Embassy in Washington.
"They share my profound belief that no American should be judged by appearance, by ethnic background, or by religious faith. I believe that strongly, and so do they," he told journalists following the meeting.
"Bigotry is not a part of our soul. It’s not going to be a part of our future... it’s not the American way, and we must reject bigotry of all kinds in this great land. In order for us to reject the evil done to America on September the 11th, we must reject bigotry in all its forms," he said.
Abdulwahab Alkebsi, director of the Dialogue of Civilization of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, was one of the Arab-American leaders present at the meeting with President Bush. Alkebsi told Arab News that 15 Muslim and Arab leaders from around the United States were invited; some were community leaders and others were personal friends and supporters of the president. Bush began by giving a short commentary about how important the Muslim American community is, and how unacceptable it is that some would target the community, or blame it, for what’s happened on Sept. 11.
"All Americans must recognize that the face of terror is not the true face of Islam. Islam is a faith that brings comfort to a billion people around the world. It’s a faith that has made brothers and sisters of every race. It’s a faith based upon love, not hate," said Bush.
"As we mourn tomorrow, we must remember that our enemy is a radical network of terrorists, not a religion; that governments which support them are our enemies, not faithful Muslims who love their families, who yearn for a more peaceful and safe world for their children.
"In our war against terror, we must never lose sight of the values that makes our country so strong; the values of respect and tolerance. The value that we believe that everybody ought to worship the Almighty, however they so choose," said President Bush.
Alkebsi said the private meeting lasted for over an hour, and that "first and foremost on our agenda was the situation in Palestine, then we talked about the seemingly imminent war in Iraq."
He said the president was willing to speak about everything but backed away from any discussion about Iraq.
"The Iraq talk was really short. He would not dwell on it. Even in the press conference, every time someone mentioned it, he brushed it aside, saying we would have to wait until his speech on Thursday."
The group then discussed the trauma many Muslim Americans have endured since Sept. 11. "Almost everybody emphasized that we are all American citizens, and that we care deeply about the national security inside the US, and US national interests abroad. Even when we mentioned the situation with the Palestinians, and what going on in Iraq, we did so from the perspective of national interests of the US," Alkebsi said.
On domestic issues, Alkebsi said the group thanked him for his leadership following the Sept. 11 attacks, "when he stood side by side next to us at the Islamic Center, and stated categorically that Islam is not the enemy, and that the enemy is terrorism, extremism and fanaticism.
"But we urged him to make that statement a continuous policy at the White House and the administration and not just a statement that’s made now and then. This policy, we said, should be reflected in the policy of the administration, especially at the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury."
He said many told the president of their concerns over the detention of Arab and Muslim immigrants, who have been detained without charges.
They also focused on the plight of Muslim charitable organizations, and the overall apprehension and confusion within the Muslim community as to how they can now support these organizations.
"We told the president we need to know which are good, so we can give to them. He picked up his note pad and wrote this down, and said he agreed with us."
