Showing posts with label Iftar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iftar. Show all posts
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Monday, May 13, 2019
President Trump Participates in the White House Iftar
*Event begins at approx. 25:50 Mins.
Fast forward to view the program...
Thursday, June 07, 2018
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Obama praises Egypt's cease-fire plan for Israel
JOSH LEDERMAN, THE ASSOCIATED PRESSPOSTED: Monday, July 14, 2014, 10:44 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama praised Egypt's proposal Monday for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, telling Muslim-Americans that he's hopeful that the plan can restore calm in the wake of a deadly wave of violence.
"We're going to continue to do everything we can to facilitate a return to the 2012 cease-fire," Obama said at a White House dinner celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "We are encouraged that Egypt has made a proposal to accomplish that goal."
The upbeat assessment from Obama came hours after Egypt presented a plan to end a week of heavy fighting that has killed at least 185 people. Both Israel and the Palestinians say they are seriously considering the proposal, which marks the first sign of a breakthrough in international efforts to end the conflict.
At the same time, Obama said the U.S. has been "very clear that Israel has the right to defend itself" against an onslaught of rockets being launched indiscriminately by Hamas militants into Israel. He also lamented the death and injury of Palestinian civilians in Gaza during Israel's military response to quell the rockets, urging that civilians be protected and warning against further escalation by either side.
Infusing Obama's words with a heightened sense of seriousness was his audience in the State Dining Room: Dozens of Muslim-Americans and diplomats from predominantly Muslim countries who gathered for the White House's annual iftar, or Ramadan evening meal. The first Muslim elected to Congress, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Ron Dermer, were also on the guest list.
"More broadly, the situation in Gaza reminds us, again, that the status quo is unsustainable," Obama said. "The only path to true security is a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians."
Ahead of the dinner, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee called for a boycott of all government-hosted iftar dinners, objecting to U.S. support for Israel during the conflict and alleged government spying on Muslim-Americans. Ellison said he shared the group's concerns but disagreed with the boycott and said it was important for passionate members of the Muslim community to attend.
Source
.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Secretary Kerry Remarks at the 2013 U.S. Department of State's Iftar Dinner
1. From [U.S. Embassy to the Holy See (Vatican)] Facebook page:
U.S. Embassy to the Holy See (Vatican) shared a link.
6 hours ago
“Our freedom to worship is a powerful reminder of traditions we share. From many faiths, we stand together in one shared country.” --Secretary Kerry at the U.S. Department of State's Iftar dinner.
https://www.facebook.com/holysee.usembassy
2. Remarks at the Ramadan Iftar Dinner
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Ben Franklin Room
Washington, DC
July 24, 2013
http://bcove.me/aq7o0eq4
Thank you very much. Assalamu alaikum. It’s wonderful to be here with everybody. And Farah, thank you for an extraordinarily gracious introduction. And most importantly, thank you for an absolutely extraordinary job, I think you will all agree, as our Special Representative to the Muslim Community. We are really pleased with what you’re doing. Thank you. (Applause.)
She said in her introduction that when I was a senator, she never dreamed that she could call me boss, but I want you to know, since I was an elected official, there were lots of things she could call me – (laughter) – and probably did. But I’m honored to, quote, “be her boss” today. I don’t think of myself that way. We’re a great team here at the State Department, an extraordinary group of people, all of whom – I see our Under Secretary Pat Kennedy here, and Under Secretary Wendy Sherman, and I haven’t looked around the whole room, but many other members of our team are here, and we all join together in welcoming you here to this break of the fast.
It is a privilege to do this. I know that Washington being sort of a little bit further north – try this in Boston or even further north, you wait till later. But I know the sun sets late, so we figured it would be a heck of a lot better to have an Iftar here at the State Department than to have a Suhoor. (Laughter.) And one thing I know as a former elected official, never keep people from their meal, and believe me, after a day of fasting, even more so. So eat. Everybody has to eat while I say a few words here if I can.
We are joined this evening by a really remarkable group of people. And I want to welcome my former colleagues from the United States Congress who are here, members of the Diplomatic Corps who are here, some of whom I saw just last night as we received many of them here. But I also especially want to recognize our Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, and Rashad Hussain, President Obama’s Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. We’re delighted to have them here. (Applause.)
Most importantly – and I say this without any artifice – every single one of you were invited here because you are all doers. You are all active. You’re all engaged. You’re all involved in trying to make the world a better place, and you’re all involved in reaching out to other people and practicing, if not your faith, certainly practicing the best tenets of how human beings can live together.
And we are celebrating the holiest month of the Muslim calendar year, Ramadan. It is a time for peaceful reflection and for prayer. It is a time for acts of compassion and charity. So to all of you tonight, and to the millions of American Muslims across our land, and to the many more around the world, Ramadan Kareem.
I want to – (applause) – thank you. You can clap for Ramadan Kareem. (Applause.)
I want you to know that the tradition of sharing respect for this particularly holy month actually reaches back to the earliest days of our Republic. This is the Benjamin Franklin Room, and it’s a fitting venue for this occasion because Ben Franklin was really our first formal diplomat. And he was also among the earliest proponents of religious freedom in our country. He wrote in his autobiography, “Even if the Mufti of Constantinople were to send a missionary to preach Mohammedanism to us, he would find a pulpit at his service.”
To find a pulpit at one’s service, to profess one’s faith openly and freely, that is really a core American value. And I’m proud to say, as all of us are who are American here, that it is enshrined in our Constitution, and hard fought for. And it has been at the center of our story, our national story, since the 1600s, when a fellow by the name of John Winthrop, who happened to have been my great grandfather eight times removed, led a ship full of religious dissidents across the Atlantic to America in order to seek the freedom of worship.
Throughout its history, America didn’t always get it right. In my home state of Massachusetts, John Winthrop and Puritans overreached, and people ran away from Salem and from other places to found New Haven, Connecticut, and found Providence, Rhode Island, named Providence after wandering a year through the woods in the winter in order to escape from persecution. So we didn’t always get it right.
But throughout our history, we have struggled with the divisiveness of religious differences. I can proudly say today that no place has ever welcomed so many different communities, so many people, to worship so freely. The diversity and the patriotism of America’s religious communities today are sources of strength for all of us. And our freedom to worship is a powerful reminder of the traditions that we share. E pluribus unum: from many, one. And from many faiths, we do stand together in one shared country. Now ultimately, our sense of kinship is grounded in our shared sense of humanity, a moral truth that emerges based on the dignity of all human beings.
So tonight, I just pose a question to you: Can our great faith traditions – the Abrahamic faiths that Farah referred to – can they forge a common effort for human dignity? My faith and the faith that I have seen in the lives of so many Americans tells me that the answer to that is resoundingly yes. Our faiths and our fates – our fates are inextricably linked. It’s not enough just to talk about greater understanding. Our partnerships, the way we work every day in life, the way we reach out country to country, people to people, they have to foster a mutual respect and underscore the freedoms that we seek.
I think it’s safe to say – I hope it is safe to say that may there are four partnerships that will be critical if we’re going to live up to our obligations to one another: partnerships for peace, for prosperity, for our people, and for the future of our planet. Let me begin just quickly with the fourth.
For many of us, respect for God’s creation in almost every scripture really demands and translates into a duty to protect and sustain God’s first creation. Our response to climate change ought to be rooted in a fundamental sense of shared stewardship of the earth that emerges from that tradition. We must also obviously strive to forge a partnership for peace, and there is no religion, no philosophy of life – whether Hinduism, Confucianism, Native American tenets – nothing that doesn’t talk about peace and the responsibilities of each human being to another.
I’ve just returned, as many of you know, from the Middle East, and I can tell you the need for lasting peace and security between Israelis and Palestinians, between Sunni and Shia, between so many different minorities and so many different people has never been greater than it is today. Our partnership for peace obviously extends far and wide, from the Syrian people to people on every continent on this planet, all of whom seek to achieve the freedom and the dignity that they so richly deserve.
We also can find a common ground in the partnership for prosperity. Tahrir Square, a fruit vendor in Tunisia – these weren’t religiously motivated revolutions, not at all. They were demands for respect and opportunity by individual human beings frustrated by the inability of governments to address their needs. And when youth see no hope for escaping from poverty or improving their lives, then problems can become truly insurmountable.
And to meet the demands of these populations for dignity and for opportunity requires new and creative partnerships. We need to reach beyond governmental and beyond government itself in order to include business, civil society, and of course, people of all walks of life working together in order to invest in the future through collaborations like the Partnerships for a New Beginning.
This brings me to the fourth partnership quickly, and then I will close. That is the partnership between our peoples. Earlier this evening, I met very briefly in the Monroe Room there with a group of outstanding representatives of the State Department who are part of programs we sponsor working with Muslim communities around the world. I’m very proud of the work that they are doing, and as Secretary of State, I not only find it inspiring, I think it is something we need to export and grow. All of these initiatives, in the end, add up to the way you find a different way of doing things, a different way of bringing people together to work for these common goals.
I’m pleased to tell you tonight that we’re in the process of expanding our capacity to do just that here in the State Department. We’ve created the first faith-based office, which will reach out in a major way across continents and oceans in order to try to increase our engagement with faith communities, and you’ll be hearing a great deal more about this effort in the days ahead.
Before I close, let me share – just share a couple things with you. I was impressed when I first visited Saudi Arabia, and I met King Abdullah, and I listened to him talk about his sense of urgency about bringing faiths together and his own initiative to try to reach out across the divide and bring Muslim and all other religions together. That has grown. There are Jordanians – Prince Ghazi and others – who are working similarly in efforts to try to reach across the divide and prove that radical, political Islam does not represent the true heart and faith.
I’ll share a story with you. It’s a story of bringing people together and of what makes a difference. It involves a rabbi, a Greek Orthodox bishop, and an imam. Now I know that sounds like the beginning of a really bad joke – (laughter) – but I want to tell you right up front, it’s not, it’s a true story. And I think Congressman Keating from my home state is here, and you can ask him, because he lived this story as I did. It embodies the kind of partnership and the way in which all of us need to think and ways in which we can be inspired.
Back in the early 1990s in Massachusetts, the Muslim community in Quincy, Massachusetts, home, I might add, of former President John Adams and John Quincy Adams, this – the Muslim community was looking for more land on which they could build an Islamic center – not a mosque, an Islamic center. And they found a large parcel in a nearby town. But when the residents heard about the plans, not unlike what happened in New York and elsewhere, they tried to keep the mosque from being built.
Dr. Ashraf, the President of the Islamic Center of New England, was about to give up hope, literally about to quit. He called everybody and talked to people. Then, out of the blue, unsolicited, he received a phone call from a man in another town, who just said simply, “Dr. Ashraf, I heard you need some land on which you want to build a mosque and a school, a center. And we would love for you to come and build your center here. We welcome you.”
My friends, when they finally broke ground, there stood three men holding shovels, breaking ground together: a rabbi, a Greek Orthodox bishop, and the imam. Today, that center stands tall and proud, and tonight, Dr. Ashraf’s niece stands right here. This is Farah Pandith’s uncle. (Applause.)
This is what our shared humanity asks of us, even demands of us. And when we speak of our faith, it can’t be just about our personal relationship with God, it has to also be about our personal relationship one to the other, each to everybody else.
I think you will agree with me. I have never met a child in my life – two years old, two and a half years old, three years old – who hates anybody. They may hate their broccoli or something else they’re forced to eat, but they don’t hate other people or kids. They learn that. It is taught. It is passed down.
And what we need to do is care for our fellow men and women, whatever the differences. If we are doing God’s work, we can do that. So let us act in faith – act in faith – even as we preach it. Let us treat each other with respect. Let us lift up humanity and live our faiths fully and freely and draw inspiration from this day of fasting and every day of fasting in Ramadan. Ramadan Mubarak. Thank you. (Applause.)
PRN: 2013/0922
Source
.
Related: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTzjvyi4cRg
.
More:
: .
: .
State Department Iftar
William Amos
Published on Jul 24, 2013
.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Obama Hosting Ramadan Dinner at White House
ABC OTUS News – 17 hrs ago
President Barack Obama will celebrate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan by hosting an iftar (ifta) dinner Friday night at the White House.
The iftar is the meal that breaks the day of fasting, when Muslim families and communities eat together after sunset.
The meal to be served in the State Dining Room will be the fourth iftar that Obama has hosted. It continues the tradition of hosting iftars that began annually under President Bill Clinton and was continued by President George W. Bush.
Invited guests include elected officials, religious and grass-roots leaders in the Muslim American community and leaders of diverse faiths and members of the diplomatic corps.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
President Obama Hosts an Iftar Dinner to Celebrate Ramadan
Posted by Nikki Sutton on August 11, 2011 at 12:14 PM EDT
Continuing a tradition at the White House, last night President Obama hosted his third Iftar dinner to celebrate Ramadan. The Iftar is the meal that breaks the day of fasting, when Muslim families and communities eat together after sunset. The President was joined in the State Dining Room by two Muslim American members of Congress, Keith Ellison and Andre Carson, members of the diplomatic corps, and Muslim American families and service members. During his remarks the President wished a blessed Ramadan to Muslim Americans and Muslims around the world:
To the millions of Muslim Americans across the United States and more -- the more than one billion Muslims around the world, Ramadan is a time of reflection and a time of devotion. It’s an occasion to join with family and friends in celebration of a faith known for its diversity and a commitment to justice and the dignity of all human beings. So to you and your families, Ramadan Kareem.
This evening reminds us of both the timeless teachings of a great religion and the enduring strengths of a great nation. Like so many faiths, Islam has always been part of our American family, and Muslim Americans have long contributed to the strength and character of our country, in all walks of life.
In one month, we will mark the 10th anniversary of those awful attacks that brought so much pain to our hearts. It will be a time to honor all those that we’ve lost, the families who carry on their legacy, the heroes who rushed to help that day and all who have served to keep us safe during a difficult decade. And tonight, it’s worth remembering that these Americans were of many faiths and backgrounds, including proud and patriotic Muslim Americans.
The President also reflected on the sacrifices Muslim Americans have made to our country and the diversity that defines us as a nation:
This year and every year, we must ask ourselves: How do we honor these patriots -- those who died and those who served? In this season of remembrance, the answer is the same as it was 10 Septembers ago. We must be the America they lived for and the America they died for, the America they sacrificed for.
An America that doesn’t simply tolerate people of different backgrounds and beliefs, but an America where we are enriched by our diversity. An America where we treat one another with respect and with dignity, remembering that here in the United States there is no “them” or “us;” it’s just us. An America where our fundamental freedoms and inalienable rights are not simply preserved, but continually renewed and refreshed -- among them the right of every person to worship as they choose. An America that stands up for dignity and the rights of people around the world, whether a young person demanding his or her freedom in the Middle East or North Africa, or a hungry child in the Horn of Africa, where we are working to save lives.
Put simply, we must be the America that goes forward as one family, like generations before us, pulling together in times of trial, staying true to our core values and emerging even stronger. This is who we are and this is who we must always be.
Source
.
Continuing a tradition at the White House, last night President Obama hosted his third Iftar dinner to celebrate Ramadan. The Iftar is the meal that breaks the day of fasting, when Muslim families and communities eat together after sunset. The President was joined in the State Dining Room by two Muslim American members of Congress, Keith Ellison and Andre Carson, members of the diplomatic corps, and Muslim American families and service members. During his remarks the President wished a blessed Ramadan to Muslim Americans and Muslims around the world:
To the millions of Muslim Americans across the United States and more -- the more than one billion Muslims around the world, Ramadan is a time of reflection and a time of devotion. It’s an occasion to join with family and friends in celebration of a faith known for its diversity and a commitment to justice and the dignity of all human beings. So to you and your families, Ramadan Kareem.
This evening reminds us of both the timeless teachings of a great religion and the enduring strengths of a great nation. Like so many faiths, Islam has always been part of our American family, and Muslim Americans have long contributed to the strength and character of our country, in all walks of life.
In one month, we will mark the 10th anniversary of those awful attacks that brought so much pain to our hearts. It will be a time to honor all those that we’ve lost, the families who carry on their legacy, the heroes who rushed to help that day and all who have served to keep us safe during a difficult decade. And tonight, it’s worth remembering that these Americans were of many faiths and backgrounds, including proud and patriotic Muslim Americans.
The President also reflected on the sacrifices Muslim Americans have made to our country and the diversity that defines us as a nation:
This year and every year, we must ask ourselves: How do we honor these patriots -- those who died and those who served? In this season of remembrance, the answer is the same as it was 10 Septembers ago. We must be the America they lived for and the America they died for, the America they sacrificed for.
An America that doesn’t simply tolerate people of different backgrounds and beliefs, but an America where we are enriched by our diversity. An America where we treat one another with respect and with dignity, remembering that here in the United States there is no “them” or “us;” it’s just us. An America where our fundamental freedoms and inalienable rights are not simply preserved, but continually renewed and refreshed -- among them the right of every person to worship as they choose. An America that stands up for dignity and the rights of people around the world, whether a young person demanding his or her freedom in the Middle East or North Africa, or a hungry child in the Horn of Africa, where we are working to save lives.
Put simply, we must be the America that goes forward as one family, like generations before us, pulling together in times of trial, staying true to our core values and emerging even stronger. This is who we are and this is who we must always be.
Source
.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Obama hosts Iftar dinner at White House marking start of Ramadan.
Obama hosts Iftar dinner at White House marking start of Ramadan. U.S., foreign press pool reports
By Lynn Sweeton August 14, 2010 9:23 AM
DOMESTIC POOL REPORT
Everyone should have the news already. Potus inserted himself firmly into the controversy over the so-called Ground Zero Burlington Coat Factory mosque with, "This is America, and our commitment to the religious freedom must be unshakeable."
The scene: The sun officially down, a crowd of men in suits and women in dresses, a few head scarves, saris, one Saudi head piece -- nothing terribly exotic -- milled in the White House foyer drinking ayran, Turkish yogurt drink, and pitless dates. Your non-Muslim pooler is told by his better-informed colleagues that dates are the traditional nosh for the fasting ahead of the formal Iftar feast. About 90 guests were invited, including ambassadors, Muslim community leaders, dignitaries and Rep. Andre Carson on Indiana, one of two Muslims in Congress.
Pool was ushered into the State Dining Room at 8:30. Guests were seated around round tables with gray, silken tablecloths and four tall, white candles arrayed around a simple centerpiece. The lectern was set up in front of the brooding portrait of Lincoln.
Potus entered seven minutes later wearing a navy suit, navy tie, and white shirt, with some audible "how are you's".
The speech, read from paper, not a teleprompter, hewed closely to the text with one flourish. He spoke of an American "way of life" from the text, then added, "that quintessential American creed," picking up "...that stands in stark contrast to the nihilism..." The crowd was attentive and respectful. Only twice did they interrupt with applause, after he declared "Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country" and after his story of Jefferson hosting the first Iftar for the ambassador from Tunisia.
When he finished, several guests surged forward to shake his hand while your pool was hastily ushered to the door.
Jonathan Weisman
Wall Street Journal
-----
FOREIGN POOL REPORT
Foreign Pool report on POTUS Iftar dinner
Pool entered at 8:16 pm to the grand Foyer leading into the state dining room. Guests were standing talking and breaking their fast on dried dates and drinking fruit Juices,and a yogurt like drink called Ayran, common in Turkey.
Pool was held up in the red room for about 10 minutes before ushered in to the State dinning room at 8:30.Drinks and dates were offered to fasting reporters .Guests sat on decorated tables with candles, and flowers chatting for about 8 minutes before POTUS entered the room and greeted the guests. Remarks by the president has already been sent out but here are some of the highlights:
The President made news by supporting the rights of muslims to practice their religion freely including building a mosque and a community centre in NY while recognising the emotional sensitivities, he said, " let me be clear: as a citizen, and as a President, I believe that Muslims have the right to practice their religion as anyone else in the country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan", he talked about freedom of religion and how the founding fathers understood it well and gave equal rights to all. He also talked about 9 -11 and how the perpetrators do not represent Islam, he said, "Al Qaeda's cause is not Islam-it is a gross distortion of Islam. These are not religious leaders-these are terrorists who murder innocent men, women and children".
POTUS also talked about the history of Iftar in america, he said that the first iftar was held 200 years ago during the time of president Jefferson to the first muslim ambassador,a Tunisian ,he also talked about the oldest mosques built in seder rapid, Iowa. Pooler noticed few guests impressed with the info and heard one said, " oh,I didn't know that"
Among the attendees are muslim congressman, Andre Carson, almost all Arab and muslim ambassadors, POTUS envoy to OIS, Rashad Hussain , Muslim world envoy Farah Pandith, also Huma Abddine, assistant to Secretary Clinton who just got married to congressman Anthony Weiner, ( full list already sent) This is the second event that POTUS holds to celebrate with Muslims. Its a tradition started during the Clinton years and was followed during the Bush administration . President Bush hosted 8 iftars for each year he was in office. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is obligatory to all adult muslims with exception of the sick, the travelling and pregnant and nursing women and few others . Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims abstain from eating , drinking and smoking from dawn to sunset( sucks if they live in a nordic country)!
Ramadan is the holiest month in the islamic calendar. Its the month that prophet Mohamed received the first sura of the Quran by the angel Gabriel while meditating in Hira cave in the year 610 CE. The name of the Sura was Alalaq, and the first word was the order form in Arabic grammar of the verb "read". God commanded the prophet to read in his name.
The wisdom of fasting is numerous according to Islamic teaching, primary of all is to share the feeling of the poor and the hungry and to sympathies with them , therefore encourage the rich to give to charity, known in Arabic as Zakat; another pillar of islam . Also to practice jihad against oneself which means the ability to resist temptation and daily pleasures and finally to give the stomach a break a month a year from indulging and over eating.
The end of Ramadan is marked by Eid Al Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast, not to be confused by Eid al Adha, the feast of sacrifice which takes place during the pilgrimage to Mecca, around two months after the end of Ramadan. Happy weekend everyone.
Ramadan Karim.
Nadia Bilbassy-Charters
Chief US Correspondent,
MBC TV, ( Middle East Broadcasting Centre)
Everyone should have the news already. Potus inserted himself firmly into the controversy over the so-called Ground Zero Burlington Coat Factory mosque with, "This is America, and our commitment to the religious freedom must be unshakeable."
The scene: The sun officially down, a crowd of men in suits and women in dresses, a few head scarves, saris, one Saudi head piece -- nothing terribly exotic -- milled in the White House foyer drinking ayran, Turkish yogurt drink, and pitless dates. Your non-Muslim pooler is told by his better-informed colleagues that dates are the traditional nosh for the fasting ahead of the formal Iftar feast. About 90 guests were invited, including ambassadors, Muslim community leaders, dignitaries and Rep. Andre Carson on Indiana, one of two Muslims in Congress.
Pool was ushered into the State Dining Room at 8:30. Guests were seated around round tables with gray, silken tablecloths and four tall, white candles arrayed around a simple centerpiece. The lectern was set up in front of the brooding portrait of Lincoln.
Potus entered seven minutes later wearing a navy suit, navy tie, and white shirt, with some audible "how are you's".
The speech, read from paper, not a teleprompter, hewed closely to the text with one flourish. He spoke of an American "way of life" from the text, then added, "that quintessential American creed," picking up "...that stands in stark contrast to the nihilism..." The crowd was attentive and respectful. Only twice did they interrupt with applause, after he declared "Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country" and after his story of Jefferson hosting the first Iftar for the ambassador from Tunisia.
When he finished, several guests surged forward to shake his hand while your pool was hastily ushered to the door.
Jonathan Weisman
Wall Street Journal
-----
FOREIGN POOL REPORT
Foreign Pool report on POTUS Iftar dinner
Pool entered at 8:16 pm to the grand Foyer leading into the state dining room. Guests were standing talking and breaking their fast on dried dates and drinking fruit Juices,and a yogurt like drink called Ayran, common in Turkey.
Pool was held up in the red room for about 10 minutes before ushered in to the State dinning room at 8:30.Drinks and dates were offered to fasting reporters .Guests sat on decorated tables with candles, and flowers chatting for about 8 minutes before POTUS entered the room and greeted the guests. Remarks by the president has already been sent out but here are some of the highlights:
The President made news by supporting the rights of muslims to practice their religion freely including building a mosque and a community centre in NY while recognising the emotional sensitivities, he said, " let me be clear: as a citizen, and as a President, I believe that Muslims have the right to practice their religion as anyone else in the country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan", he talked about freedom of religion and how the founding fathers understood it well and gave equal rights to all. He also talked about 9 -11 and how the perpetrators do not represent Islam, he said, "Al Qaeda's cause is not Islam-it is a gross distortion of Islam. These are not religious leaders-these are terrorists who murder innocent men, women and children".
POTUS also talked about the history of Iftar in america, he said that the first iftar was held 200 years ago during the time of president Jefferson to the first muslim ambassador,a Tunisian ,he also talked about the oldest mosques built in seder rapid, Iowa. Pooler noticed few guests impressed with the info and heard one said, " oh,I didn't know that"
Among the attendees are muslim congressman, Andre Carson, almost all Arab and muslim ambassadors, POTUS envoy to OIS, Rashad Hussain , Muslim world envoy Farah Pandith, also Huma Abddine, assistant to Secretary Clinton who just got married to congressman Anthony Weiner, ( full list already sent) This is the second event that POTUS holds to celebrate with Muslims. Its a tradition started during the Clinton years and was followed during the Bush administration . President Bush hosted 8 iftars for each year he was in office. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is obligatory to all adult muslims with exception of the sick, the travelling and pregnant and nursing women and few others . Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims abstain from eating , drinking and smoking from dawn to sunset( sucks if they live in a nordic country)!
Ramadan is the holiest month in the islamic calendar. Its the month that prophet Mohamed received the first sura of the Quran by the angel Gabriel while meditating in Hira cave in the year 610 CE. The name of the Sura was Alalaq, and the first word was the order form in Arabic grammar of the verb "read". God commanded the prophet to read in his name.
The wisdom of fasting is numerous according to Islamic teaching, primary of all is to share the feeling of the poor and the hungry and to sympathies with them , therefore encourage the rich to give to charity, known in Arabic as Zakat; another pillar of islam . Also to practice jihad against oneself which means the ability to resist temptation and daily pleasures and finally to give the stomach a break a month a year from indulging and over eating.
The end of Ramadan is marked by Eid Al Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast, not to be confused by Eid al Adha, the feast of sacrifice which takes place during the pilgrimage to Mecca, around two months after the end of Ramadan. Happy weekend everyone.
Ramadan Karim.
Nadia Bilbassy-Charters
Chief US Correspondent,
MBC TV, ( Middle East Broadcasting Centre)
..
Related:
Video
Bloomberg
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)