Obama’s ‘new beginning’ speech cites U.S.-Muslim history

President Obama delivered his much-anticipated speech on relations with Muslims at Cairo University Thursday and, with it, offered both historical and scriptural lessons. While the focus of his speech was on a “new beginning,” he noted that the U.S. has had connections to Islam since the start of this country. “Islam has always been a […]

President Obama delivered his much-anticipated speech on relations with Muslims at Cairo University Thursday and, with it, offered both historical and scriptural lessons.

While the focus of his speech was on a “new beginning,” he noted that the U.S. has had connections to Islam since the start of this country.

“Islam has always been a part of America’s story,” he said. “The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second president, John Adams, wrote, `The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims.’


And when Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn. became the first Muslim-American to serve in Congress in 2007, “he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same Holy Quran that one of our Founding Fathers – Thomas Jefferson – kept in his personal library.”

The president closed his remarks by suggesting that texts of the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths should be heeded.

“The Holy Quran tells us, ‘O mankind! We have created you male and a female. And we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.’

“The Talmud tells us: ‘The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace.’

“The Holy Bible tells us, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”’

After the speech, Obama’s schedule called for him to visit the Sultan Hassan Mosque.

The White House has posted the whole speech here.

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