I'm so excited to see so many dignitaries from across our region to share in this very special moment.

Your Highness,

We're here to recognise the Ismaili community's greatness. And in doing so, we get to show the greatness of the city of Houston.

This is not just a special event, ladies and gentlemen, this is a historic event. Pause a moment and realise what we're experiencing, what we are witnessing. It's a coming together of people, diverse people, people that in previous years were not even recognised as a part of our community.

The Ismaili community, working with the city of Houston residents, 2.3 million Houstonians, but our region, our state of Texas, and the United States – we’re making a statement today, that we're all in this together. We need days, Your Highness, like this. With the turmoil in the world, we need to come together.

And the Ismaili Center opens its doors to people that may look, sound, and think different from us. I know this will be a Center for education, for love, compassion, respect. And it makes me so proud to not only be the mayor of this great city, but to be a Houstonian, to be part of our society. And I want everyone to leave here fired up. This is only the beginning – this is only the beginning of something great. And thank you so much for recognising Houston, Texas, the state of Texas, and the United States. It's so historic and people will be talking about this Center and this special day for hundreds of years.

So, everyone, remember where you were today. Tell your children, tell your grandchildren, include them. His Highness and I met yesterday afternoon. I can't begin to tell you how good the chemistry was. And of course, I was being respectful, and he was being respectful, but very soon I told him when he leaves, I want him to tell folks, ‘Houston, Texas is the friendliest city that I've ever visited.’

Ladies and gentlemen, let's enjoy today.