American Muslim Peace Initiative

Co Chair of AMPI becomes the first American Muslim to lead Prayer in the Connecticut Senate

June 1^st, 2007: Hartford CT: An American Muslim made history to be the first Muslim to lead the prayer in the Connecticut Senate. Dr. Saud Anwar, of South Windsor Connecticut, Co-Chair of the American Muslim Peace Initiative delivered the invocation Friday afternoon to the Senate session of June 1^st, 2007.

State Senator Gary LeBeau welcomed Dr. Anwar to be the first ever Muslim to give the opening prayer to mark the start of the days Senate session. Dr. Anwar read a prayer from the Quran and also read a prayer of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

"Connecticut is a very diverse state, and the prayers that open the Senate should reflect a diversity of religious thought and affiliation. I see that diversity in my own hometown of East Hartford," Sen. LeBeau said. “Islam is one of the three Abrahamic faiths and a religion which is followed by a large number of our residents in Connecticut, and it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you my friend Saud Anwar, who will share with us the Muslim prayers”

Dr. Anwar is the founder and Co Chair of the American Muslim Peace Initiative, a network of organizations and leaders of various organizations uniting their voices to articulate the challenges and opportunities for promoting peace in our neighborhoods, our nation and our world. Their work includes strengthening the intra-faith and interfaith understanding of Islam with other religions. Their work has included help and support to under privileged communities in United States, and peace missions to Middle East and South Asia.

It is an honor for me to represent my faith today with our leaders in the State Senate and share a brief prayer. My presence here today in our State Senate to share the prayer service confirms the true spirit of diversity in America an integral American value and strengthens the strong bond American Muslims feel with our home America.

Splitter of the grain of corn and date stone, Revealer of the Torah, the Bible and the Quran,

O God, bestow upon us the wisdom, the love and the power to make right choices as you bestowed upon your beloveds Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed (May peace and blessings be upon them all)

O God, Adorn us with the ornament of faith and make us righteous guides and rightly guided. O God set aright our State, Our Country and our world, where we live and also set aright our hereafter where we shall all return.

Peace has to be created, in order to be maintained. It is the product of Faith, Strength, Energy, Will, Sympathy, Justice, Imagination, and the triumph of principle. It will never be achieved by passivity and quietism.