REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT THE ANNUAL IFTAR DINNER, JULY 14, 2014

9:03 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening everyone and welcome to the White House. Every year, our Iftar is a chance to join in fellowship with friends, old and new, and to celebrate the incredible diversity of our great nation. And I want to recognize members of our diplomatic corps who are here — and its wonderful to have you back — as well as members of Congress who are joining us here tonight. We have leaders from my administration. And most importantly, we welcome Muslim Americans from across the country. So I want to thank you all for being here — Ramadan Kareem. Its late. Youre hungry. I will be brief. (Laughter.)

Tonight, we honor the traditions of one of the worlds great faiths. For Muslims, Ramadan is a time to reflect and to remember that discipline and devotion is the essence of a life of faith. And for all of us, whatever our faiths, Ramadan is a reminder of just how much we share. The values of peace and charity, the importance of family and community — these are universal values. The command to love one another, to uphold justice, and to care for the least among us — these are common threads in our faith traditions.

Tonight we reaffirm a simple truth. Fundamental to the character of our country is our freedom of religion — the right to practice our faith as we choose, to change our faith if we choose, or to practice no faith at all and to do all this free from fear of. All of us are deserving of an equal opportunity to thrive — no matter who we are, what we look like, what we believe, or how we pray. And all of us have an obligation to do our part — to help others overcome barriers, to reverse the injustice of inequality and to help more of our fellow citizens share in the promise of America.

In Islam, there is a hadith that says God helps the servant as long as the servant helps his brother. In other words, were summoned to serve and lift up one another, and thats the lesson of several of our guests here tonight.

Im just going to mention a couple. Kelly Carlisle served our country in the Navy. And more recently, she founded Acta Non Verba — deeds, not words. And in a tough part of Oakland, California, she started an urban farm where local children can grow and sell fresh food, which Michelle would appreciate very much. (Laughter.) Then, Kelly deposits 100 percent of the profits they earn into individual savings accounts for those children, because studies show that a child with a savings account is more likely to attend college. So thanks to Kelly, these boys and girls are not only learning the value of hard work at an early age, theyre changing how they think about themselves and opening their minds to whats possible in their lives. So we want to thank Kelly for that great work. (Applause.)

Growing up in Pakistan, Muhammed Chaudhry and his family — part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community — were mistreated because of their beliefs. They immigrated to America, and in California, Muhammed saw world-changing technologies being launched in the same neighborhoods where too many students struggled just to stay in school. Today, he runs a foundation that works with schools, parents and local IT startups to better prepare students to embrace science and math. And theyve started turning the tables — thanks to Muhammeds foundation, so many of these students are now taking classes that put them on track for college. So we want to thank Muhammed for being such a great example. (Applause.)

And you see the kind of impact Muhammeds work can have — how each generation can help bring along the next — in young people like Aala Mohamed. Aalas family immigrated to the United States from Sudan. Both her parents worked several jobs in order to send her to a good high school in Chicago, a great town. I added that. Thats not in the remarks. (Laughter.) But, according to Aala, applying for college was a depressing time, because she didnt know what opportunities were out there and she didnt know how her family would pay for her college.

But with the help of a nonprofit that focuses on young people like her, she set her sights high. She earned admission to Yale, which I understand is quite good. (Laughter.) She graduated with a double major. Today she works in finance, and now shes paying it forward by developing a curriculum to inspire Muslim high school students, especially girls, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. So we want to thank Aala for that. (Applause.)

So these three individuals are just an example of the wonderful work that is done. Youve made it your mission, each in your own way, to help others overcome barriers and to push back on those forces of inequality and to help the next generation share in the American Dream. These folks realize that sometimes all a young person needs is knowing that somebody cares about them and believes in them. I know Im only here because a few people — my mother and my grandparents and dedicated teachers — took time to invest in me.

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