The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through - a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. This issue has been a source of tension between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election.

A common dream, born of two continents. I was too young to be involved in that movement, but I felt I could play a small part in the continuing battle for justice by helping rebuild some of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. Our conscience cannot rest until we not only secure our borders, but give the 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country a chance to earn their citizenship by paying a fine and waiting in line behind all those who came here legally. No, the word is very near. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. And we will also expand partnerships with Muslim communities to promote child and maternal health.

And when these battles were overtaken by others and when the wars they opposed were waged and won, these faithful foot soldiers for justice kept marching. If you're working forty hours a week, you shouldn't be living in poverty. No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President John Adams wrote, "The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims." And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States.

John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves. But I think they also sensed that a part of me remained removed and detached - that I was an observer in their midst. That is true genius of this nation. It's a story with a simple truth: that violence is a dead end.

God bless you.