President Obama Hosts Iftar Dinner

President Barack Obama praised the contributions of American Muslims at a White House iftar dinner on Sept. 1, 2009 celebrating the holy month of Ramadan. Iftar is carried out at kitchen tables and mosques in all 50 states, Obama told his guests, among whom were American Muslims, lawmakers—including the two Muslim members of Congress, Reps. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Andre Carson (D-IN)—cabinet secretaries, and members of the diplomatic corps, who gathered for the dinner that breaks the daily Ramadan fast. Obama paid tribute to what he called “a great religion and its commitment to justice and progress.”

The president, who also released a video message to Muslims before the start of Ramadan, focused on the accomplishments of American Muslims. “Islam, as we know, is part of America,” he said. “And like the broader American citizenry, the American Muslim community is one of extraordinary dynamism and diversity—with families that stretch back generations and more recent immigrants; with Muslims of countless races and ethnicities, and with roots in every corner of the world.

“Indeed, the contributions of Muslims to the United States are too long to catalog,” he continued, “because Muslims are so interwoven into the fabric of our communities and our country. American Muslims are successful in business and entertainment; in the arts and athletics; in science and in medicine. Above all, they are successful parents, good neighbors, and active citizens.”

The president mentioned a few of those prominent American Muslim citizens, including Elsheba Khan, whose son Kareem was killed in Iraq and is buried with a crescent carved on his headstone at Arlington National Cemetery.

Obama also introduced Nashala Hearn from Muskogee, OK, who was told by her school district that she couldn’t wear hijab to school and who protested that it was a part of her religion. “The Department of Justice stood behind her, and she won her right to practice her faith,” Obama said, noting that she even traveled to Washington to testify before Congress.

The president brought to the podium Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, a 5’5” athlete and honor student who broke the high school career points record in women’s basketball for Massachusetts and says she wants to inspire other Muslim girls to play basketball.

Obama also commended boxer Muhammad Ali, known to everyone as ”The Greatest,” who has also inspired America. Ali has “grown from an unmatched fighter in the ring to a man of quiet dignity and grace who continues to fight for what he believes—and that includes the notion that people of all faiths hold things in common,” Obama said. While Ali couldn’t attend the dinner, Obama quoted the famous Muslim, who once said: “Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams—they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do—they all contain truths.”

Among those truths, Obama said, are “the pursuit of peace and the dignity of all human beings.” He asked his guests to “find common ground” and rededicate themselves to the work of building “a better and more hopeful world.”

—Delinda C. Hanley