President Obama will hold a dinner to celebrate Ramadan tonight at the White House.
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours. The fast is broken after sunset with a dinner, or iftar, usually as a community. Tonight’s dinner will be held at 8 p.m. ET.
The dinner will also “highlight the contributions of American Muslims,” according to the White House. A guest list will be released later today.
Obama is not the first president to celebrate the Islamic holiday. President Clinton was the first to hold official iftars, and President Bush continued the tradition throughout his two terms.
Earlier this month, Obama taped a message wishing Muslims around the world a Ramadan Kareem. He said, in part, “These rituals remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.”
(Late update: Here’s the guest list.)
For instance, fasting is a concept shared by many faiths – including my own Christian faith – as a way to bring people closer to God, and to those among us who cannot take their next meal for granted. And the support that Muslims provide to others recalls our responsibility to advance opportunity and prosperity for people everywhere. For all of us must remember that the world we want to build – and the changes that we want to make – must begin in our own hearts, and our own communities.
