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. ”

You take the best of our tradition as a start, and I'll take the best of Christianity ... From there we can build. ”

Koran says whoever believes in God in the last day shall be saved. It is a religion whose very name, Islam, comes from the word Shalom, which means peace. It's about establishing peace. We greet each other with peace be upon you, which the Jews do in greeting each other. ”

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. ”

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. ”

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. ”

Bigotry toward any faith community cannot have any place in civilized society anywhere in the world. ”

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. ”

I've spoken with friends who are rabbis and priests and we've agreed that most people have an emotional attachment to their faith, a desire to fulfill their spiritual longings, but they are not experts in understanding the history of their religion. ”

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. ”