Embassy Press Release

Remarks by Ambassador Nicholas F. Taubman on the Occasion of the Visit to the Kemal Ataturk National College Medgidia, Romania October 4, 2007

Mr. Director Mologani,
Mr. Mufti of Romania,
Distinguished teachers,
Boys and Girls,

I thank you very much for receiving me today at the Kemal Ataturk National College. It is a great pleasure for me to tour your school and meet the faculty and staff. Thank you for your warm welcome.

I know this is an important time for you, during your commemoration of the holy month of Ramadan, and its exaltation of G-d’s word to the Prophet Muhammad. I understand this is a time of fasting, personal sacrifice, and charitable acts that you bestow on others in gratitude for G-d’s blessings.

As Ambassador, I have a greater opportunity this month to learn about, enjoy and appreciate the beauty and richness that are an intrinsic part of Islam, and the customs which you practice and revere as Muslims.

I am pleased for the opportunity to visit your bilingual school. It is wonderful that you have the opportunity here, thanks in part to support from the Turkish government, to study in both Turkish and Romanian, as well as to learn other foreign languages.

The study of language is an important base for preserving one’s own culture, and it can help build bridges to people of other cultures and faith.

Knowing more than one language will be very helpful to you when you enter the job market, as it will open more opportunities to you. These things are all increasingly important as our world becomes smaller and more interconnected.

In the spirit of building bridges, and in recognition of the holy month of Ramadan, I am pleased to announce that I am making a donation today to the school library of a collection of American books in English for those who are learning English.

This collection, known as the Ambassador’s collection, was put together by an American publisher for use in libraries. It contains 85 titles and is a wide range of books about American history, culture and values.

I should mention that we have more books available to you at our American Corner in Constanta. This collection, which includes books, movies and documentaries, is open to the public, including all of you. It is located at the Ovidius University library. I encourage you all to visit it the next time you are in Constanta.

Romania and the United States share a commitment to democratic values. This shared commitment has made possible expanding cooperation between our countries in many areas, including political, economic, business and defense issues.

As I have often said, the United States has no better friend than Romania and Turkey. And that friendship extends to all Romanians and Turks, including all the minority cultures present in this country.

Thank you for receiving me here today, and please accept my best wishes for a blessed Ramadan.

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Information about Islam in the United States: Information about Muslim life in America is available at http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/muslimlife/

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