May God’s peace, mercy, grace, and blessings be with you.

It’s with great honor and privilege that I address you tonight during this month of spirituality, reflection, and contemplation. It’s so good to be speaking to you tonight. I’ve been asked by my attorneys not to speak publicly but you’re the exception.
I’m very pleased to know that the tradition we’ve started many years ago during the blessed month of Ramadan is continuing and expanding. We come together, people of different faiths, Muslims, Christians, Jews, and others to celebrate our common heritage and humanity; to observe our devotion to the Almighty through prayers and fasting.
We come together in humility, as brothers and sisters in humanity, and as people of faith, to remind each other that what binds us and brings us together, is much more than what divides us and keeps us apart.
We come together to renew our dedication and devotion to God, to do our utmost to be true servants to Him, as well as to our fellow human beings.
We come together to affirm our commitment and determination to work together, as people of strong will and faith, for the pursuit of justice, equality and truth.
We come together to share our love and compassion for each other, in a world replete with hatred and intolerance.
We come together to pledge our common efforts to empower the weak and neglected; to help the poor and the deprived; to comfort the orphan and the needy; and to be the voice of the oppressed and the hopeless.
It’s an awesome responsibility, one that’s fulfilled by prophets, and great men and women of history. We must follow in their footsteps. But in the process of achieving this great endeavor, we must overcome our prejudices and stereotypes of the Other; we must cast aside our inner doubts and demons; we must conquer our cynicism and apprehensions.
Remember that small people are self-absorbed, interested only in their pleasures and self-gratification. But great people care about others. They are willing to make tremendous sacrifices for others, and are prepared to face overwhelming challenges for the common good.
In prison I learned that the comforts of life that we take for granted are luxuries, not necessities; they are transient, not permanent. What matters most in life is our capacity to see beyond ourselves and our needs; to be a force for good, decency, and truth; to do what’s right without hesitation or delay. If unchecked, evil can cause pain and spread misery. So we must fight it with persistence and vigor; confront it with unity, perseverance and steadfastness.
As we celebrate our common heritage and destiny tonight, and as we commemorate our devotion and ideals, I offer you my sincere thanks and gratitude for your tireless efforts on my behalf during my years of unjust incarceration.  I thank you and countless others around the globe, for keeping me and my family in your thoughts and prayers. Your struggle for human rights, dignity, and freedom has been heard and appreciated around the world. But our struggle is definitely not over. 
We must also remember our fellow brothers and sisters who have been deprived of their fundamental human rights of freedom and dignity because of their heritage, ethnicity, beliefs, or political opinions. They are prisoners of conscience who refuse to compromise their ideals.
So my sisters and brothers, let’s keep fighting for their freedom, speaking out on their behalf, standing up for justice, and keep on speaking truth to power. Your everlasting vigilance is the water that sustains and flourishes the flower of justice. Your ceaseless efforts to confront injustice is the foundation that keeps hope alive. Be a thorn in the side of the oppressor, and a soothing hand on the forehead of the oppressed.