And now Islam is with us in the United States and throughout the West — a jewel in our midst. It is a religion that brings each generation to a God-consciousness that fosters all that is human. Whether we are lay or religious, Christian or Muslim, we cannot afford to delegate this dialogue to specialists, academics, political and military generals. We must bow our heads and bend our knees and, upon rising, extend our hands. We are friends.
— Mary Margaret Funk, Islam Is