Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

The truth is that killing innocent people is always wrong - and no argument or excuse, no matter how deeply believed, can ever make it right. No religion on earth condones the killing of innocent people; no faith tradition tolerates the random killing of our brothers and sisters on this earth.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

The fundamental idea which defines a human being as a Muslim is the declaration of faith: that there is a creator, whom we call God - or Allah, in Arabic - and that the creator is one and single. And we declare this faith by the declaration of faith, where we... bear witness that there is no God but God.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

We are not going to toy with our religion or any other. Nor are we going to barter. We are here to extend our hands to build peace and harmony.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

Our enemy is not Islam. Islam is not the enemy of America; Americans are not the enemy of Islam. Our real enemy is extremism and radicalism.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

My life has been devoted to peacemaking.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

I worked as a teacher in the public school system in New York City for several years, and I was a victim of the layoffs, you know, in the mid-'70s. And then I worked as a sales engineer for a company in New Jersey that was selling industrial filtration equipment.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

What's brilliant about the United States system of government is separation of power. Not only the executive, legislative, judicial branches, but also the independence of the military from civilians, an independent media and press, an independent central bank.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

Fanaticism and terrorism have no place in Islam.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

Any organization or any individual that targets civilians and kills them for political agenda is a terrorist organization.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

I am a supporter of the state of Israel.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

In the Muslim world, there are many people who have been vocal and we have been very vocal against extremists. But how to win this battle is an ongoing battle. And we must continue to wage the battle for peace.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

I condemn everyone and anyone who commits acts of terrorism. And Hamas has committed acts of terrorism.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

In Malaysia, where Western culture was extremely influential, I'd grown up listening to Elvis and the Beatles and watching American movies. People wanted to be like Americans. In contrast, when I got here, I saw prosperous middle-class American college students wanting to somehow join the Third World.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

When I arrived in America, I experienced serious culture shock. For someone with a religious upbringing, the 1960s were an extremely difficult time. Even though religion was a big part of the civil rights and peace movements, in my college religion was treated as irrelevant, hopelessly stodgy, and behind the times.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

We've got to be fair. You can't say a place that has strip joints is sacred ground. We've got to be just. We've got to speak the truth. We've got to have justice for everybody. We're a country of justice for all, not justice for non-Muslims only or some groups and not for others.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

I have never made a threat. I've never made a threat, never expressed a threat, never - I've never - I would never threaten violence ever, because I am a man of peace, dedicated to peace.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

We are Americans. We - we - we are - we are doctors. We are investment bankers. We are taxi drivers. We are store keepers. We are lawyers. We are - we are part of the fabric of America. And the way that America today treats its Muslims is being watched by over a billion Muslims worldwide.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

The battleground has been moderates of all faith traditions in all the countries of the world against the radicals of all faith traditions in all parts of the world.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

In spite of the polls, the fact is that American Muslims are very happy and they thrive in this country.

Feisal Abdul Rauf
Feisal Abdul Rauf

God says in the Quran that there is only one true religion, God's religion. It's the same theme that God revealed to all of the prophets, even before Muhammad.