James A. Leach: “In conclusion, let me first thank the gentlewoman from Nevada for her tremendous leadership on this issue. Second, let…”

“In conclusion, let me first thank the gentlewoman from Nevada for her tremendous leadership on this issue. Second, let me, in a broad way, stress that philosophically the three great monotheistic religions of the world, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are each rooted in the Ten Commandments. They embrace the Ten Commandments. And the Ten Commandments, above anything else, outline how we should live together in society; and they are doctrines of love and compassion, not hatred and revenge. One of the things we are all going to have to think through in all societies is how we emphasize what brings us together and not what tears us apart. Fundamentally, what is of deep concern to this body is that a leader of a great Muslim country, a country with which we are very close, a leader who is considered one of the most modern leaders in the Muslim world, has uttered words that, from an American perspective, seem out of context with the times, with good judgment, and with decency. What we have to emphasize to our friends, as well as to ourselves, is that we are going to have to think through differences in the world in such ways that we can reach compromise, based on a set of feelings that bring us together. Unfortunately, these remarks seem to move in the other direction.”