Well, welcome to the White House. To you, to Muslim Americans across our country, and to more than one billion Muslims around the world, I extend my best wishes on this holy month. Ramadan Kareem. 欢迎来到白宫。向各位、向全国各地的穆斯林美国人，以及全世界超过十亿的穆斯林，我谨在这个神圣的月份致以最诚挚的祝福。斋月吉庆。
I want to welcome members of the diplomatic corps; members of my administration; and members of Congress, including Rush Holt, John Conyers, and Andre Carson, who is one of two Muslim American members of Congress, along with Keith Ellison. So welcome, all of you. 我想欢迎外交使团成员、本届政府成员以及国会成员，包括拉什·霍尔特、约翰·科尼尔斯和安德烈·卡森——他与基思·埃里森是国会仅有的两位穆斯林美国人议员。欢迎各位。
Here at the White House, we have a tradition of hosting iftars that goes back several years, just as we host Christmas parties and seders and Diwali celebrations. And these events celebrate the role of faith in the lives of the American people. They remind us of the basic truth that we are all children of God, and we all draw strength and a sense of purpose from our beliefs. 在白宫，我们举办开斋宴的传统已有数年之久，正如我们举办圣诞宴会、逾越节家宴和排灯节庆典。这些活动颂扬信仰在美国人民生活中的作用，也提醒我们一个基本真理：我们都是上帝的孩子，都从自己的信仰中汲取力量与人生方向。
These events are also an affirmation of who we are as Americans. Our Founders understood that the best way to honor the place of faith in the lives of our people was to protect their freedom to practice religion. In the Virginia Act of Establishing Religion Freedom, Thomas Jefferson wrote that "all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion." The First Amendment of our Constitution established the freedom of religion as the law of the land. And that right has been upheld ever since. 这些活动也是对我们美国人身份的肯定。我们的国父们深知，要尊重信仰在人民生活中的地位，最好的方式就是保护他们实践宗教的自由。在《弗吉尼亚宗教自由法案》中，托马斯·杰斐逊写道：「所有人都可自由地宣告，并以论证维护其在宗教事务上的见解。」我国宪法第一修正案将宗教自由确立为国家的根本法律，自此以后，这项权利始终受到维护。
Indeed, over the course of our history, religion has flourished within our borders precisely because Americans have had the right to worship as they choose -- including the right to believe in no religion at all. And it is a testament to the wisdom of our Founders that America remains deeply religious -- a nation where the ability of peoples of different faiths to coexist peacefully and with mutual respect for one another stands in stark contrast to the religious conflict that persists elsewhere around the globe. 事实上，在我国历史上，宗教之所以能在国境之内蓬勃发展，正是因为美国人有权按自己的方式礼拜——包括不信仰任何宗教的权利。美国至今仍是一个宗教信仰深厚的国家，这也印证了国父们的远见：不同信仰的群体能够和平共处、相互尊重，与世界其他地方仍在延续的宗教冲突形成鲜明对比。
Now, that's not to say that religion is without controversy. Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities -- particularly New York. Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of Lower Manhattan. The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country. And the pain and the experience of suffering by those who lost loved ones is just unimaginable. So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. And Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground. 这并不意味着宗教没有争议。近来，公众注意力集中于某些社区——尤其是纽约——修建清真寺一事。我们必须承认并尊重曼哈顿下城开发所牵动的敏感情绪。9·11袭击对我国而言是一次深重的创伤，那些痛失挚爱者所经历的痛苦与煎熬实在难以想象。因此，我理解这一问题所引发的情绪。世贸遗址，确是神圣之地。
But let me be clear. As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America. And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. 但我要明确表态。作为一名公民，也作为总统，我认为穆斯林与这个国家的所有人一样，有权信奉自己的宗教。这包括依照当地法律法规，在曼哈顿下城的私人土地上修建礼拜场所和社区中心的权利。这就是美国。我们对宗教自由的承诺必须坚定不移。
The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are. The writ of the Founders must endure. 所有信仰的人都能在这个国家受到欢迎，且不会被政府区别对待——这一原则正是我们身份认同的核心。国父们留下的训令必须长存。
We must never forget those who we lost so tragically on 9/11, and we must always honor those who led the response to that attack -- from the firefighters who charged up smoke-filled staircases, to our troops who are serving in Afghanistan today. And let us also remember who we're fighting against, and what we're fighting for. 我们绝不能忘记在9·11中惨痛逝去的同胞，也必须永远致敬那些领导抗击此次袭击的人——从冲上烟雾弥漫楼梯的消防员，到今天仍在阿富汗服役的将士。让我们也铭记，我们的敌人是谁，我们又在为何而战。
Our enemies respect no religious freedom. Al Qaeda's cause is not Islam -- it's a gross distortion of Islam. These are not religious leaders -- they're terrorists who murder innocent men and women and children. In fact, al Qaeda has killed more Muslims than people of any other religion -- and that list of victims includes innocent Muslims who were killed on 9/11. 我们的敌人不尊重任何宗教自由。基地组织的事业并不是伊斯兰——它是对伊斯兰的严重扭曲。这些人不是宗教领袖——他们是屠杀无辜男女和儿童的恐怖分子。事实上，基地组织杀害的穆斯林比任何其他宗教的信徒都多——而遇难者名单中，也包括在9·11中丧生的无辜穆斯林。
So that's who we're fighting against. And the reason that we will win this fight is not simply the strength of our arms -- it is the strength of our values. The democracy that we uphold. The freedoms that we cherish. The laws that we apply without regard to race, or religion, or wealth, or status. 这就是我们所面对的敌人。我们之所以能赢得这场斗争，并非仅仅凭借武力——而是凭借我们价值观的力量。我们所捍卫的民主，我们所珍视的自由，我们所执行的法律，不以种族、宗教、财富或地位为差别。
Our capacity to show not merely tolerance, but respect towards those who are different from us -- and that way of life, that quintessentially American creed, stands in stark contrast to the nihilism of those who attacked us on that September morning, and who continue to plot against us today. 我们能够对与我们不同的人不仅给予宽容，更给予尊重——这种生活方式，这一最具美国精神的信条，与那些在九月那个清晨袭击我们、至今仍密谋对付我们的虚无主义形成了鲜明对比。
In my inaugural address I said that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and every culture, drawn from every end of this Earth. And that diversity can bring difficult debates. This is not unique to our time. Past eras have seen controversies about the construction of synagogues or Catholic churches. 在我的就职演说中曾说，我们拼布式的文化遗产是优势，而非劣势。我们是一个由基督徒、穆斯林、犹太教徒、印度教徒——以及不信教者——组成的国家。我们被这片大地每一个角落的语言和文化所塑造。这种多样性会带来艰难的辩论，但这并非我们这个时代独有。过去的年代里，也曾就修建犹太会堂或天主教堂引发过争议。
But time and again, the American people have demonstrated that we can work through these issues, and stay true to our core values, and emerge stronger for it. So it must be -- and will be -- today. 但美国人民一次又一次证明，我们能够化解这些分歧，坚守核心价值观，并因此变得更强大。今天也必然如此——也必将如此。
And tonight, we are reminded that Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity. And Ramadan is a reminder that Islam has always been a part of America. The first Muslim ambassador to the United States, from Tunisia, was hosted by President Jefferson, who arranged a sunset dinner for his guest because it was Ramadan -- making it the first known iftar at the White House, more than 200 years ago. 今晚，我们也被提醒：斋月所庆祝的是一种以丰富多样性著称的信仰。斋月也提醒我们，伊斯兰教始终是美国的一部分。第一位派驻美国的穆斯林大使来自突尼斯，杰斐逊总统曾设宴款待他，因当时正值斋月而专门安排了日落后的晚宴——这便是两百多年前白宫已知的第一场开斋宴。
Like so many other immigrants, generations of Muslims came to forge their future here. They became farmers and merchants, worked in mills and factories. They helped lay the railroads. They helped to build America. They founded the first Islamic center in New York City in the 1890s. They built America's first mosque on the prairie of North Dakota. And perhaps the oldest surviving mosque in America -- still in use today -- is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 与许多其他移民一样，一代代穆斯林来到这里开拓未来。他们成为农民和商人，在工厂和作坊中劳作。他们协助铺设铁路，他们参与建设美国。他们在1890年代于纽约创建了第一座伊斯兰中心；他们在北达科他州的草原上建造了美国第一座清真寺。而美国现存最古老的清真寺——至今仍在使用——或许就坐落于艾奥瓦州的塞达拉皮兹。
Today, our nation is strengthened by millions of Muslim Americans. They excel in every walk of life. Muslim American communities -- including mosques in all 50 states -- also serve their neighbors. Muslim Americans protect our communities as police officers and firefighters and first responders. Muslim American clerics have spoken out against terror and extremism, reaffirming that Islam teaches that one must save human life, not take it. 今天，数以百万计的穆斯林美国人让我们的国家更加强大。他们在各行各业中表现卓越。穆斯林美国人社区——包括遍布全美五十个州的清真寺——也在服务邻里。穆斯林美国人作为警察、消防员和急救人员守护着我们的社区。穆斯林美国教士公开谴责恐怖与极端主义，重申伊斯兰教义教人拯救生命，而非夺取生命。
And Muslim Americans serve with honor in our military. At next week's iftar at the Pentagon, tribute will be paid to three soldiers who gave their lives in Iraq and now rest among the heroes of Arlington National Cemetery. 穆斯林美国人也在我国军队中光荣服役。在下周五角大楼的开斋宴上，将向三位在伊拉克捐躯的士兵致敬，他们如今长眠于阿灵顿国家公墓的英雄之间。
These Muslim Americans died for the security that we depend on, and the freedoms that we cherish. They are part of an unbroken line of Americans that stretches back to our founding; Americans of all faiths who have served and sacrificed to extend the promise of America to new generations, and to ensure that what is exceptional about America is protected -- our commitment to stay true to our core values, and our ability slowly but surely to perfect our union. 这些穆斯林美国人为了我们所依赖的安全、所珍视的自由而献出了生命。他们是一支绵延至建国之初的美国人队伍的一部分；不同信仰的美国人共同服役、共同牺牲，将美国的承诺传递给新一代，并确保美国独特之处得以守护——那就是我们坚守核心价值观的决心，以及我们稳步却坚定地完善联邦的能力。
For in the end, we remain "one nation, under God, indivisible." And we can only achieve "liberty and justice for all" if we live by that one rule at the heart of every great religion, including Islam -- that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. 归根结底，我们仍是「上帝之下、不可分割的一个国家」。唯有遵循包括伊斯兰教在内的每一伟大宗教核心的那条准则——己所不欲，勿施于人——我们才能真正实现「人人享有自由与公正」。
So thank you all for being here. I wish you a blessed Ramadan. And with that, let us eat. 感谢各位今晚的到来。祝各位斋月吉庆。说罢，让我们开席吧。
