Tunisian cleric Abdelfattah Mourou speaks out

During a Friday sermon in New Jersey on 1 January 2016, cleric Abdelfattah Mourou bemoaned the state of the Islamic world today, with its high rate of illiteracy and lack of scientific achievements. "I believe that you have a role to play," he told the congregation at the Islamic Center of Passaic County, in Patterson, New Jersey

American Muslims "should be able to instil new hope and to serve as a beacon and a model for our nation in slumber, far away." Mourou, who is vice-president of the Tunisian parliament and was the co-founder of the Ennahdha Party, called upon Muslims in the U.S. to become "full citizens" and participate in decision-making, while respecting others.