Dr Siddiqi Participates in NY Service of Prayer and Remembrance

Dr. Muzzamil Siddiqi, eminent religious scholar, was invited by the White House on behalf of President Bush and Mrs. Bush to participate in the Service of Prayer and Remembrance held at the Trinity Church at St Paul's Chapel in New York on September 10, 2006.
Dr Siddiqi, along with a few religious leaders of Judaism and Christianity met the President and the First Lady and then attended the ceremony. Below appears the text of his invocation:
An Invocation
On The Occasion of the Anniversary of September 11
By Imam Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi
(Chairman, Islamic Law Council of North America, Imam of the Islamic Society of Orange County, California)
Delivered At St. Paul’s Chapel, Trinity Church, New York
(September 10, 2006)
In the name of God, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Salam.
May the peace and blessings of God be upon all of you.
God says in the Holy Qur’an:
“O Mankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other, (not that you may despise each other.) Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is the one who is the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted with all things.” (Chapter 49:13)
On this solemn occasion, we are gathered here this evening to pray for and remember those who lost their lives or suffered on September 11, 2001 when the terrorists, whom we condemn, struck our nation with their evil plot. We are gathered here to comfort and console ourselves and all those who lost their loved ones on that dark day.
Let us pray to God that one day all people recognize the sanctity of human life and our common humanity. Let us pray to God that we all humans learn to cherish our diversity and not make it a source of discord and conflict. Let us pray to God to grant humanity peace, love and compassion for one another.
God says in the Holy Qur’an that killing one person unjustly is like killing the whole humanity and saving one person is like saving all humanity. (Chapter 5:32)
The terrorists kill unjustly, and bring shame to themselves and offend all religions and all of civilization. They are not the representatives of any religion. They are indeed not the representatives of Islam.
Let us pray for those who are working to bring safety and security in our country and for our fellow human beings on this Earth. Let us pray to God to bless those who are building bridges of understanding and striving to establish justice and fairness on Earth.
Let us pray to God to free us from fear, fear of terror, hunger and poverty. Let us pray to God to grant us His everlasting love and help us turn to the roots of our faiths to learn how to live in this world of diversity and pluralism. Let us bow down in humility to the One who created us all and ask for His Mercy and Compassion.
We pray to God to continue to shower His blessings on America – its leaders and all of its inhabitants – with prosperity, wisdom, peace and reverence of Him. Amen

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------