speeches
American Mosques Photo Exhibit
Frankfurt Public Library
Frankfurt
September 28, 2006
As prepared for delivery.
Dr. Homilius, Frau Lotz, Frau Schumann, I would like to thank the Frankfurt Public Library for its support of our America@yourlibrary initiative and the Gallus Library Branch for agreeing to host this exhibition on American Mosques this evening.
I am pleased to see that representatives of different religious and ethnic groups have gathered here in the library today for the opening of the exhibit.
The author of these works which are being exhibited, Dr. Omar Khalidi, is a professor of Muslim architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Unfortunately he could not travel to Frankfurt to be with us for this opening, but we will be bringing him to Germany in December, and we hope that some of you will be able to find the time to speak with him then.
Dr. Khalidi’s photographs have already been shown in several countries around the world including Russia, Turkey, and Pakistan. In every case they have served as an excellent starting point for discussions on religious freedom in the U.S. and elsewhere. In Germany, as in the United States, the idea of tolerance and the acceptance of different ethnic groups is already well established. Its importance is understood throughout society, especially now with the spread of international terrorism.
As you will see in these photographs, Muslim society in America is very diverse. There are currently between 3 to 6 million Muslims living in America and we have more than 2,000 mosques. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the country and you can find Muslim neighborhoods in just about every major American city. The styles of the mosques vary from Middle Eastern to Turkish. There are also some very American designs. For example one of the mosques shown in the photos is located in the state of New Mexico, and was constructed from adobe, corresponding to the local architecture of the American Indians who lived there.
I think this exhibition is a wonderful way to observe Ramadan and I hope you will learn more about Muslims in America by seeing how American Muslims worship around the U.S. When President Bush addressed the United Nations General Assembly last week, he underlined the tremendous respect Americans of all creeds have for Islam, and the commitment that Muslims make to faith, family, and education. We look forward to learning more from each other in the years ahead through programs and exhibits like this.
Thank you for your attention.
