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Speeches and Remarks
Remarks by Ambassador James F. Moriarty Iftar Hosted by the American Alumni Association (AAA) | | | SEPTEMBER 14, 2009
Assalamu-aleikum and Ramadan Karim.
I would like to thank the American Alumni Association for inviting me tonight. It is always a pleasure to spend time with AAA members, especially during this special time of fellowship.
Ramadan is a time to reflect upon relationships, a time for family and friends. This Ramadan, I am reflecting upon the U.S.-Bangladesh friendship. In June, President Obama spoke in Cairo about America’s commitment to engaging Muslims and Muslim-majority nations on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect. Since then, we at the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, as well as our colleagues at Embassies and Consulates around the world, have been listening to your voices. We’ve been brainstorming ideas with people like you on how to move forward in areas outlined by President Obama, such as women’s education, the advancement of science and technology, and global climate change. We’ve listened, and we’ve collected all the great ideas we’ve heard. We want to work together with the people of Bangladesh to implement those ideas.
As President Obama said in his Ramadan greeting, “All of these efforts are aimed at advancing our common aspirations – to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God. It will take time and patient effort. We cannot change things over night, but we can honestly resolve to do what must be done, while setting off in a new direction – toward the destination that we seek for ourselves, and for our children. That is the journey that we must travel together.”
I look forward to traveling the journey with all of you. Members of the American Alumni Association have a crucial role to play. You have all lived in both the U.S. and Bangladesh. You are the cultural translators who can bridge the oceans and continents between our countries and help us find mutual understanding. There is so much to be done. There is so much opportunity to give those in poverty the tools to succeed, to develop Bangladesh’s economy, to strengthen the country’s democracy and security. As we partner to move forward, your role will be central in pushing the country in the right direction.
Thank you for inviting me to join you tonight. Ramadan Karim.
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