Correction appended, Feb. 1
Jenna Bush Hager, NBC anchor and daughter of former President George W. Bush, this week tweeted an excerpt of a speech her father made in the days after 9/11.
“Islam is peace,” President Bush said in a speech at the Islamic Centre in Washington, D.C. shortly after the World Trade Center attacks. “America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country.”
Bush Hager wrote on Twitter that the excerpt was a reminder “to teach acceptance and love to our kids.” Her post followed continued outcry over President Trump’s immigration restrictions on citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries.
Read the excerpt of Bush’s speech that his daughter posted below:
The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That’s not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don’t represent peace. They represent evil and war. When we think of Islam we think of a faith that brings comfort to a billion people around the world. Billions of people find comfort and solace and peace. And that’s made brothers and sisters out of every race — out of every race. America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country. Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, moms and dads. And they need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect. Women who cover their heads in this country must feel comfortable going outside their own homes. Moms who wear cover must not be intimidated in America. That’s not the America I know. That’s not the America I value. I’ve been told that some fear to leave; some don’t want to go shopping for their families; some don’t want to go about their ordinary daily routines because, by wearing cover, they’re afraid they’ll be intimidated. That should not and that will not stand in America. Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don’t represent the best of America, they represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior.
Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly described Jenna Bush Hager’s Twitter post. The words were from a speech her father, former President George W. Bush, gave shortly after 9/11, not from Jenna Bush Hager herself.
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