I am honored to join your call to prayer and remembrance. The unspeakable tragedy of September 11 must bring all Americans, indeed all people of good will together, for America and the world have suffered a wound of epic proportions. Its effects will forever change our lives and the lives of our children and our children's children.
We join here tonight, together as one, in mourning the victims of this horrific act. We mourn the loss of fathers, mothers, daughters, sons and of course our heroes-our brave firefighters, police and emergency service workers. We join to show solidarity and to express our unbridled love and passion for America and the freedoms for which she stands.
That we are so many and so different but yet one is our strength. It is our motto-E Pluribus Unum-one out of many. That we gather as Jew, Christian and Muslim is the foundation of our purpose, our resolve and our national prayer.
America opens her doors to people of all faiths who seek opportunity, freedom and happiness. Our pursuit of these values cannot be hindered by the cowardly acts of a few extremists who believe their actions are justified by the tenets of faith. What religion across this globe would justify such an act? The answer is simple my friends, none. All who act in the name of God share common ground in the God-given command of preserving the sanctity of innocent life, not destroying it. The will of Allah was not carried out here. Quite to the contrary, what occurred on September 11 was its defilement.
As we mourn together, prepare for the actions likely to come and pray for the safety of our troops and the security of our land, we must support our leaders as they seek to bring all responsible for this atrocity to justice. This will require our patience and our sacrifice for this effort will likely neither be quick nor risk free. And we must act without ceding our principles and freedoms. We must ensure that the safety of all law abiding citizens, including Muslim-Americans, does not fall victim to the anger felt by our fellow citizens. Indeed, there have been periods in history where Americans, because of their religion, color, dress and origin, have been persecuted, sent to prison camps and have even lost their lives. I am saddened that for Muslims living in America today, this is a period of heightened alert. I ask tonight for your prayers and your hand of friendship to help ensure that the anger felt by many will not lead to violence against innocent people.
As time goes on, we must offer our full support to leaders committed to justice. I must say it was comforting to see President Bush visit the Islamic Center earlier this week and feel the support of his kind remarks that will undoubtedly help ease fears in Muslim communities across America. His historic address to the nation before a joint session of Congress this past Thursday also included words that were certainly reassuring to those who feared even carrying out the very basic tasks of their lives such as going to buy groceries at the local supermarket. Hopefully, real Americans will heed his words and focus on the task at hand--stopping the evil, global terrorist network.
In the darkest days of every war there are always candles of hope that burn brightly. We saw the candle's flicker in the selflessness of rescue workers, many of whom made the supreme sacrifice to save others. Here in this sanctuary, we see another candle flicker. We have been brought together as people of many faiths in one common cause--the defeat of fear and the vindication of freedom. May we always stand and pray so united. Once again thank you for inviting me to join you in your prayer service. In the spirit of Rosh Hashana, I hope the new year will bring better things for us all.