ISCA
Chairman Meets with President Bush
Endorses Bush's Call for Three Days of Prayer
(Washington,
DC 09/08/02) On
Friday, September 6, the chairman of Islamic Supreme Council
of America, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, together with
a handful of religious leaders, was honored to join President
George W. Bush in an intimate ceremony at the White House
Roosevelt Room. The president used the occasion to proclaim
that Friday, September 6, through Sunday, September 8, 2002,
would be observed for the first time as “National Days of
Prayer and Remembrance.”
The president
shared his personal religious convictions and called upon
faith leaders of the nation to join him in observing religious
services that honor the victims of September 11th, and to
pray for the continued protection and safety of our country.
Expressing
his feelings about the meeting, Shaykh Kabbani said, “While
people around the world view President Bush as a great man
of conviction and courage, very few get the unique opportunity
to observe him as a sensitive, caring, religiously inspired
individual. I expressed our community’s deep sentiment and
support for President Bush, to which he responded with a heartfelt
embrace. I am truly blessed by that experience and will share
his act of friendship with our millions of supporters around
the world.”
ISCA encourages
its members, supporters and congregations around the world
to join President Bush and people of all faiths in hosting
services that commemorate the unspeakable tragedy our nation
has endured. Further, we urge Muslims to let this first anniversary
pass not only as a day of remembrance, but one of action.
On September
11, 2002, the Council unequivocally calls on all leaders of
traditional Islamic communities and Muslims at-large to immediately
establish “Community Watch” groups across the nation. While
typically such groups are designed to prevent external threats,
these community-based groups will protect our mosques, schools
and centers from the threat within our ranks, the threat posed
by extremist elements who attempt to hijack our peaceful religion.
These watch groups will prevent extremists from using our
places of worship for illegitimate and illegal purposes. We
believe such action will demonstrate that Muslims are sincere,
patriotic and upright citizens, committed to upholding the
honor of traditional Islam and to preventing the Islamic faith
from being manipulated by self-serving criminals.
We pray
that our brothers and sisters throughout the Muslim world
will see an end to the era of dictators and experience the
same freedoms we cherish as citizens of this great nation.
We also pray that traditional Muslims throughout the world
will one day be liberated from the oppression of extremists
who stifle universal human rights and destroy the sanctity
of life.
As we
approach the anniversary of September 11th, we at the Islamic
Supreme Council of America stand united with our fellow Americans.
We pray for swift victory in the war against terror and that
all people will one day live in a world filled with peace,
cooperation, and social justice.
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