As debate continues over the construction of an Islamic cultural center in Lower Manhattan, the chief figure behind the program, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, is continuing on a State Department-sponsored trip in the Middle East. In a speech to Bahrain TV, Imam Feisal defended Islam as a peaceful religion and condemned terrorism.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf: “This principle, which defines terrorism, is strictly forbidden in Islam. It falls under the category of what Muslim jurists have called 'Herabah,' because 'Herabah' destroys the structures, the binding structures, of human society. Our faith is a religion not only of spirituality, of ethics and of morality, but also a religion of law and the rule of law.”