when the first moslem america was elected to congress he took an oath to defend the constitution is in the same hole in dhahran that one of our founding fallers, thomas jefferson -- the same holy koran that one of our founding fathers, thomas jefferson, had in his library. [applause] i have known isislam on three continents. that experience? my conviction that a partnership between america and islam must be based on what it is not what it is not. i consider part of my responsibility as president of the united states to fight against negative stereotypes of islam wherever they appear. [applause] but that same principle must apply to muslim perceptions of america. [applause] just as muslims do not fit a stereotype, america is not the crude stereotype of a self interested empire. the united states has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known. we were born out of revolution against an empire. we were founded upon the idea that all are created equal. we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words. within our borders and around

america. [applause] at the same time, we will encourage more americans to study in moslem communities. we will match promising moslem students with internships in america, invest in online learning for teachers and children around the world, and create a new on-line network so a young person in kansas can communicate instantly with a young person in cairo. on economic development, we will create a new core of business volunteers to partner with counterparts in muslim majority countries. i will hosting a summit on all entrepreneurship this year on how we can deepen ties between business leaders, foundations, and others in the united states and in most communities around the world. on science and technology, we will launch a new front to support technological development in bulls -- majority countries and help transfer ideas to the marketplace so they can create more jobs. we will open centers of scientific excellence in africa, the middle east, and southeast asia, a. new signs of forced to collaborate on programs that develop new sources of energy, create green jobs, the midsize records