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The aim of the visit was for Abdul Rauf to "talk about Muslim life in America" and his "work promoting inter-faith dialogue," according to a statement by the US embassy in Abu Dhabi announcing the visit.
Abdul Rauf specifically singled out principles outlined in the 1776 US Declaration of Independence from Britain as being in line with Islamic thought.
He noted that the Declaration describes life, liberty and property -- changed in the final version to the "pursuit of happiness" -- as "inalienable rights."
"I cannot fail but be struck by how these rights that are described, parallel what Islamic jurists have written, six centuries before it and more," Abdul Rauf said.
There was a consensus among Islamic scholars at that time that "the whole objective of Islamic law... is to further and protect five, and some say six, fundamental issues" -- life, dignity, religion, family, property and intellect, he said.
"The very definition of the American way of being, the very definition of the American existential viewpoint... is consistent with the very thinking of Muslim scholars," Abdul Rauf said.
Freedom of religion in America also squares with the Islamic principle that "there shall be no coercion or compulsion in matters of faith or religion," he said.
"The real battlefront" is between moderates and extremists, not Muslims and non-Muslims, Abdul Rauf said.
The plan to build the Islamic centre, which is to include a prayer space, near the site of the World Trade Center that was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks, has fueled a political furore in the United States.
Proponents say the centre would be a platform for promoting inter-faith dialogue and tolerance. Opponents, some of whom have termed the centre the "Ground Zero mosque," say it is insensitive to build it near the site of the attacks.
Planners say the centre will include an area for prayer, sports facilities, theatre and restaurant, and would be open to the public.
Construction of the centre, a 100-million-dollar (79-million-euro), 13-storey glass-and-metal building to be built on private property, has been approved by city officials.
Abdul Rauf has been the imam of a mosque twelve blocks from "Ground Zero" for the past 27 years, according to the website of the Cordoba Initiative, an organisation promoting inter-faith dialogue and understanding, which he founded.
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Abdul Rauf specifically singled out principles outlined in the 1776 US Declaration of Independence from Britain as being in line with Islamic thought.
He noted that the Declaration describes life, liberty and property -- changed in the final version to the "pursuit of happiness" -- as "inalienable rights."
"I cannot fail but be struck by how these rights that are described, parallel what Islamic jurists have written, six centuries before it and more," Abdul Rauf said.
There was a consensus among Islamic scholars at that time that "the whole objective of Islamic law... is to further and protect five, and some say six, fundamental issues" -- life, dignity, religion, family, property and intellect, he said.
"The very definition of the American way of being, the very definition of the American existential viewpoint... is consistent with the very thinking of Muslim scholars," Abdul Rauf said.
Freedom of religion in America also squares with the Islamic principle that "there shall be no coercion or compulsion in matters of faith or religion," he said.
"The real battlefront" is between moderates and extremists, not Muslims and non-Muslims, Abdul Rauf said.
The plan to build the Islamic centre, which is to include a prayer space, near the site of the World Trade Center that was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks, has fueled a political furore in the United States.
Proponents say the centre would be a platform for promoting inter-faith dialogue and tolerance. Opponents, some of whom have termed the centre the "Ground Zero mosque," say it is insensitive to build it near the site of the attacks.
Planners say the centre will include an area for prayer, sports facilities, theatre and restaurant, and would be open to the public.
Construction of the centre, a 100-million-dollar (79-million-euro), 13-storey glass-and-metal building to be built on private property, has been approved by city officials.
Abdul Rauf has been the imam of a mosque twelve blocks from "Ground Zero" for the past 27 years, according to the website of the Cordoba Initiative, an organisation promoting inter-faith dialogue and understanding, which he founded.
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