The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
These are not whiners. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation.
And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding. Not just with words, but with deeds - by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.
And so this will be a difficult debate next week. Consensus and compromise will not come easy. We shouldn't use the obstacles we face as an excuse for cynicism. What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them. On science and technology, we will launch a new fund to support technological development in Muslim-majority countries, and to help transfer ideas to the marketplace so they can create jobs.
And I've found that no matter where I am, or who I'm talking to, there's a common theme that emerges. And we cannot ignore the very real concerns of Americans who are not worried about illegal immigration because they are racist or xenophobic, but because they fear it will result in lower wages when they're already struggling to raise their families. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.
And we cannot ignore the very real concerns of Americans who are not worried about illegal immigration because they are racist or xenophobic, but because they fear it will result in lower wages when they're already struggling to raise their families. But we shouldn't use our humility as an excuse for inaction. That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.