Continuing the tradition of the White House Iftar dinner, President Obama had 150 guests at the dinner organized in honor of the Muslim Ramadan on Monday.
Another occasion to bring together people from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, the dinner was lulled with President Obama’s speech of freedoms and values that should universally bind people.
The Muslim Ramadan marks the moment when it is believed that the Prophet was handed down the book of Quran on which he based all his teachings. It is an endearing exhibit of faith when 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide are fasting for one month during daylight to honor their faith and prophet.
Against this background, President Obama held the traditional honorary Iftar dinner, talking about acceptance, hate crimes and hate sparked violence and American values. The President told his guests that the Iftar dinner:
“Is also a reminder of the freedoms that bind us together as Americans, including the freedom of religion — that inviolable right to practice our faiths freely. As Americans, we insist that nobody should be targeted because of who they are, or what they look like, who they love, how they worshipâ€.
The Muslim world is bearing all the consequences of violent, unending wars, terrorism and the subsequent economic dire situation. The United States remains tangled in many of the conflicts that are changing the face of the Islamic world.
Against this background, the Iftar dinner was one added opportunity for representatives of American Muslims present and the other attendees to join their hopes in a better future.
The Iftar dinner is a tradition that was first celebrated by President Clinton. The legacy was picked up by President George W. Bush and it is being passed on in the White House.
The dinner on Monday brought together the diplomatic corps of Islamic countries represented in the U.S. Other guests included a number of young notable Muslim Americans who were praised by President Obama for their achievements and stance. Members of Congress were also attending the Iftar dinner.
Charged with an ever urgent message of peace, the Iftar dinner cannot do much to rid the Islamic world of the conflicts tearing it from the inside.
However, it goes a long way in proposing models that could become those who change the world. The President was outspoken about the remarkable achievements of some young Muslim Americans.
Among them, Ziad Ahmed is a 16-year old Bangladeshi-American who grew up in New Jersey. He is also the founder of a website that aims at combating stereotypes and hate violence by encouraging others his age to share their stories.
Munira Khalif, emmerit graduate of a Minnesota high school has been accepted by all Ivy League Colleges. She comes from a Somali family and started her own organization to help girls get proper education in East Africa.
Of all colleges that accepted young Munira, she picked Harvard where she intends to build a bright future and continue her efforts to bring rights to East African girls.
These were just two of the examples brought in the limelight by President Obama. Yet, telling and fit for the White House Iftar dinner.
Source: World Report
