I will never forget that the only reason I'm standing here today is because somebody, somewhere stood up for me when it was risky. Stood up when it was hard. Stood up when it wasn't popular. And because that somebody stood up, a few more stood up. And then a few thousand stood up. And then a few million stood up. And standing up, with courage and clear purpose, they somehow managed to change the world.
Foreign Assistance is not an end in itself. The purpose of aid must be to create the conditions where it's no longer need.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
Shaykh Bin Bayyah described his purpose. We must declare war on war so the outcome will be peace upon peace.
