Remarks by President Obama at White House Iftar Dinner

State Dining Room, White House

September 1, 2009

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2009年9月1日晚8:08，奧巴馬總統(tǒng)在白宮國宴廳同各界穆斯林人士、外交使節(jié)、內(nèi)閣官員和國會議員等來賓共同出席開齋晚宴并發(fā)表講話。以下是講話全文：


Please, everybody have a seat. Thank you. Well, it is my great pleasure to host all of you here at the White House to mark this special occasion -- Ramadan Kareem.


各位請坐。謝謝大家。我非常高興能邀請各位來到白宮歡度這個特別的時刻——萊麥丹齋月吉祥（Ramadan Kareem）。


I want to say that I’m deeply honored to welcome so many members of the diplomatic corps, as well as several members of my administration and distinguished members of Congress, including the first two Muslims to serve in Congress -- Keith Ellison and Andre Carson. Where are they? (Applause.)


我在此表示，我感到萬分榮幸，因為蒞會的有如此眾多的外交使節(jié)，還有本屆政府的幾名成員和尊敬的國會議員，其中包括兩位最早當選國會議員的穆斯林——基思·埃利森（Keith Ellison）和安德烈·卡森（Andre Carson）。他們在哪里？（掌聲）


Just a few other acknowledgements I want to make. We have Senator Richard Lugar here, who’s our Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Where is Dick Lugar? There he is. (Applause.) Representative John Conyers, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. (Applause.) Representative Rush Holt is here. Thank you, Rush. (Applause.) Have we found you a seat, Rush? (Laughter.)


我還要感謝其他幾位人士。今天在座的有參議員理查德·盧格（Richard Lugar），對外關(guān)系委員會（Foreign? Affairs Committee）資深成員。迪克·盧格在哪里？他在那里。（掌聲）。眾議員約翰·科尼爾斯（John Conyers），司法委員會（Judiciary Committee）主席。（掌聲）眾議員拉什·霍爾特（Rush Holt）也來了。謝謝你，拉什。（掌聲）你找到座位了嗎，拉什？（笑聲）


(REPRESENTATIVE HOLT: I’m on my way to the train.) (Laughter.)


(眾議員霍爾特：我這是在趕火車。)（笑聲）


I got you.


我知道。


We also have here -- Secretary of Defense Gates is here. Secretary Gates. (Applause.) Our Attorney General, Eric Holder. (Applause.) And Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius is here. (Applause.)


今天在座的還有國防部長蓋茨（Gates）。蓋茨部長。（掌聲）司法部長，埃里克·霍爾德（Eric Holder）。（掌聲）衛(wèi)生與公眾服務(wù)部長凱瑟琳·西貝利厄斯（Kathleen Sebelius）也到場了。（掌聲）


And most of all, I want to welcome all the American Muslims from many walks of life who are here. This is just one part of our effort to celebrate Ramadan, and continues a long tradition of hosting iftars here at the White House.


然而首先，我對今天在座的各行各業(yè)的美國穆斯林表示歡迎。這僅僅是我們歡度萊麥丹齋月的活動之一，延續(xù)了多年來在白宮舉辦齋月晚宴的傳統(tǒng)。


For well over a billion Muslims, Ramadan is a time of intense devotion and reflection. It’s a time of service and support for those in need. And it is also a time for family and friends to come together in a celebration of their faith, their communities, and the common humanity that all of us share. It is in that spirit that I welcome each and every one of you to the White House.


對10多億穆斯林人口而言，齋月是潛心奉主、虔誠修煉的時候；是為需要幫助的人服務(wù)，向他們伸出援手的時候；也是親朋好友歡聚一堂，贊頌自己的信仰、自己的社區(qū)以及我們共同的人性的時候。正是在這種精神的感召下，我歡迎你們各位來到白宮。


Tonight’s iftar is a ritual that is also being carried out this Ramadan at kitchen tables and mosques in all 50 states. Islam, as we know, is part of America. And like the broader American citizenry, the American Muslim community is one of extraordinary dynamism and diversity -- with families that stretch back generations and more recent immigrants; with Muslims of countless races and ethnicities, and with roots in every corner of the world.


今晚的齋月晚餐是一種宗教傳統(tǒng)儀式。在齋月到來的時候，全美50個州都在家庭餐桌上和清真寺遵循這個傳統(tǒng)。我們都知道，伊斯蘭教是美國的一部分。與其他美國公民一樣，美國穆斯林群體也具有極為充沛的活力和廣泛的多樣性——既有世世代代生活在這里的家庭，也有初來乍到的新移民；穆斯林人口的種族和族裔多種多樣，根系遍布世界各個角落。


Indeed, the contribution of Muslims to the United States are too long to catalog because Muslims are so interwoven into the fabric of our communities and our country. American Muslims are successful in business and entertainment; in the arts and athletics; in science and in medicine. Above all, they are successful parents, good neighbors, and active citizens.


毫無疑問，穆斯林對美國的貢獻數(shù)不勝數(shù)，因為穆斯林已經(jīng)與我們的社區(qū)和我們的國家密切融合。在工商和影視業(yè)，在藝術(shù)和體育界，在科學(xué)和醫(yī)學(xué)等領(lǐng)域，美國穆斯林均十分成功。更重要的是，他們還是育兒有方的父母、為人友善的鄰居和積極參與的公民。


So on this occasion, we celebrate the Holy Month of Ramadan, and we also celebrate how much Muslims have enriched America and its culture -- in ways both large and small. And with us here tonight, we see just a small sample of those contributions. Let me share a few stories with you briefly.


值此慶賀萊麥丹圣月之際，我們還感謝穆斯林為豐富美國社會和美國文化做出的諸多貢獻——不論貢獻大小。我們可以看到，今晚在座的一些人士就做出了自己的貢獻，但他們只是其中很小一部分例子。讓我簡要地介紹他們的一些事跡。


Elsheba Khan’s son, Kareem, made the ultimate sacrifice for his country when he lost his life in Iraq. Kareem joined the military as soon as he finished high school. He would go on to win the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, along with the admiration of his fellow soldiers. In describing her son, Elsheba said, “He always wanted to help any way that he could.” Tonight, he’s buried alongside thousands of heroes in Arlington National Cemetery. A crescent is carved into his grave, just as others bear the Christian cross or the Jewish star. These brave Americans are joined in death as they were in life -- by a common commitment to their country, and the values that we hold dear.


埃爾薩巴·汗（Elsheba Khan）的兒子卡利姆（Kareem）在伊拉克犧牲，為國家獻出自己的生命。卡利姆高中一畢業(yè)就參了軍，后來獲得紫心勛章（Purple Heart）和青銅星章（Bronze Star），深受戰(zhàn)友們的欽佩。埃爾薩巴在緬懷兒子時說：“他總是希望盡自己的一切力量做出奉獻?！?今晚，他與其他成千上萬的英烈一起長眠于阿靈頓國家公墓（Arlington National Cemetery）。一輪新月鑲刻在他的墓碑上，就如同其他人的墓碑鑲有十字架或猶太星的標記一樣。這些英勇的美國人雖死猶生，體現(xiàn)了效忠祖國的共同決心，見證了捍衛(wèi)我們珍視的價值觀的共同意志。


One of those values is the freedom to practice your religion -- a right that is enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution. Nashala Hearn, who joins us from Muskogee, Oklahoma, took a stand for that right at an early age. When her school district told her that she couldn’t wear the hijab, she protested that it was a part of her religion. The Department of Justice stood behind her, and she won her right to practice her faith. She even traveled to Washington to testify before Congress. Her words spoke to a tolerance that is far greater than mistrust -- when she first wore her headscarf to school, she said, “I received compliments from the other kids.”


我們珍視的價值觀之一是信奉宗教的自由——《憲法第一修正案》（First Amendment of the Constitution）明文規(guī)定的一項權(quán)利。今天從俄克拉荷馬州馬斯科吉(Muskogee, Oklahoma) 來這里出席晚宴的納沙拉·赫恩 (Nashala Hearn)曾在年幼時為維護這項權(quán)利表明了自己的立場。當時她所在的學(xué)區(qū)告訴她不能戴頭巾（hijab）上學(xué)。她抗議說，這是自己宗教信仰的一部分。司法部（Department of Justice）對他表示支持，她贏得了信奉自己宗教的權(quán)利。她甚至遠赴華盛頓，在國會作證。她說的一番話說明，寬容之心遠遠超過了相互間的不信任——當她第一次戴著頭巾上學(xué)時，她說：“我得到其他小朋友們的贊賞?！?/p>


Another young woman who has thrived in her school is Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir. She’s not even 5’5 -- where’s Bilqis? Right here. Stand up, Bilqis, just so that we -- (laughter) -- I want everybody to know -- she’s got heels on. She’s 5’5 -- Bilqis broke Rebecca Lobo’s record for the most points scored by any high school basketball player in Massachusetts history. (Applause.) She recently told a reporter, “I’d like to really inspire a lot of young Muslim girls if they want to play basketball. Anything is possible. They can do it, too.” As an honor student, as an athlete on her way to Memphis, Bilqis is an inspiration not simply to Muslim girls -- she’s an inspiration to all of us.


另外一位在學(xué)校中茁壯成長的年輕婦女是拜萊蓋絲·阿卜杜爾-卡迪爾（Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir）。她身高還不到5尺5寸——拜萊蓋絲在哪里？就在這里。拜萊蓋絲，請站起來，這樣我們——（笑聲）——我要讓大家知道——她穿著高跟鞋。她身高5尺5寸——拜萊蓋絲打破了麗貝卡·洛博（Rebecca Lobo）創(chuàng)下的馬薩諸塞州有史以來高中籃球運動員得分的最高記錄。（掌聲）她最近向一位記者表示：“我真的希望鼓勵許多年輕的穆斯林女孩打籃球，只要她們愿意。任何事情都有可能實現(xiàn)。她們也有可能做到。”拜萊蓋絲是一名優(yōu)等生，準備作為運動員去孟菲斯（Memphis）發(fā)展，她不僅僅激勵了穆斯林女孩，而且激勵了我們大家。


Of course, we know that when it comes to athletes who have inspired America, any list would include the man known simply as The Greatest. And while Muhammad Ali could not join us tonight, it is worth reflecting upon his remarkable contributions, as he’s grown from an unmatched fighter in the ring to a man of quiet dignity and grace who continues to fight for what he believes -- and that includes the notion that people of all faiths holds things in common. I love this quote. A few years ago, he explained this view -- and this is part of why he’s The Greatest -- saying, “Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams -- they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do -- they all contain truths.”


當然，我們都知道，談起激勵美國奮進的體壇宿將，必然會提到最偉大的拳王（The Greatest）。雖然穆罕默德·阿里（Muhammad Ali）今晚不能與我們共進晚餐，但他的卓越成就值得我們深思。他從一名在拳擊場上所向無敵的拳擊手成長為一位沉穩(wěn)莊重、氣度不凡的人，為他的信念奮斗不息——其中包括，持各種不同信仰的人都有共同之處。我欣賞他說過的一句話。幾年前，他闡述了這個觀點——這是他之所以“最偉大”的原因之一——他說：“河流、池塘、湖泊和小溪——名稱雖各不相同，但都包含著水。就像各種宗教一樣——都包含著真理?！?/p>


They all contain truths. Among those truths are the pursuit of peace and the dignity of all human beings. That must always form the basis upon which we find common ground. And that is why I am so pleased that we are joined tonight not only by so many outstanding Muslim Americans and representatives of the diplomatic corps, but people of many faiths -- Christians, Jews, and Hindus -- along with so many prominent Muslims.


各種宗教都包含真理。這些真理中有對和平的追求以及全人類的尊嚴。這必須時時刻刻成為我們尋求共同之處的基礎(chǔ)。因此，令我非常高興的是，今晚同我們共進晚餐的不僅有眾多杰出的美國穆斯林人士和外交使團的代表，還有持各種不同信仰的人士——基督教徒、猶太教徒和印度教徒——同眾多知名穆斯林人士共聚一堂。


Together, we have a responsibility to foster engagement grounded in mutual interest and mutual respect. And that’s one of my fundamental commitments as President, both at home and abroad. That is central to the new beginning that I’ve sought between the United States and Muslims around the world. And that is a commitment that we can renew once again during this holy season.


我們肩負共同的責(zé)任，促進在共同利益和相互尊重基礎(chǔ)上的相互接觸。這是我作為總統(tǒng)需要承擔(dān)的基本義務(wù)之一，不論在國內(nèi)還是國外。這對于我為美國與全球穆斯林尋求的新開端至關(guān)重要。值此圣月到來之際，我們再次表達以上的承諾。


So tonight, we celebrate a great religion, and its commitment to justice and progress. We honor the contributions of America’s Muslims, and the positive example that so many of them set through their own lives. And we rededicate ourselves to the work of building a better and more hopeful world.


今晚，我們贊美這個偉大的宗教，敬佩其堅持正義與進步的信念。我們對美國穆斯林的貢獻表示敬意，崇尚他們中間許多人以自己的人生經(jīng)歷樹立的良好榜樣。我們再次表示，堅決為建設(shè)一個更美好、更有希望的世界進行不懈努力。


So thanks to all of you for taking the time to be here this evening. I wish you all a very blessed Ramadan. And with that, I think we can start a feast. I don’t know what’s on the menu, but I’m sure it will be good. (Laughter.) Thank you very much, everybody. (Applause.)


感謝大家今晚撥冗蒞臨。我祝愿大家齋月吉祥。現(xiàn)在，我想晚宴可以開始了。我不清楚菜譜上有什么，但一定很精彩。（笑聲）。非常感謝各位。（掌聲）