Obama's Ramadan Dinner Speech Pays Tribute to Muslim Americans

President Obama honored the sacrifices that Muslim Americans have made for the country on Wednesday night at the White House's annual Ramadan dinner. With only a month to go before the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Obama emphasized the role that Muslim Americans played in the wake of the attacks, and their contributions to the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Muslim Americans were [the] first responders ... the EMTs … the nurse who tended to so many victims, the naval officer at the Pentagon who rushed into the flames and pulled the injured to safety," the president told approximately 100 guests before the meal.

Obama paid tribute to the "brave service of our men and women in uniform, including thousands of Muslim Americans … [and] some [who] have made the ultimate sacrifice."

Obama recalled Army Specialist Kareem Khan, who was killed in Iraq, and thanked Khan's mother for attending the dinner. "We must be the America they lived for, and the America they died for," he said.

The dinner is known as an "iftar," and it breaks the daylong fast Muslims observe from sunrise to sunset during the holy month of Ramadan. The tradition of hosting an iftar at the White House was begun by President Bill Clinton, and continued by George W. Bush. This will be Obama's third as president.

In the audience were the two members of Congress who practice Islam, Reps. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) and Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), as well as Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.). Also attending were government officials, Muslim community leaders and other leaders of faith groups.

Ramadan follows a lunar calendar and has occurred in late August and September during the past two years, but this year it runs from August 1 to 30. Fittingly then, Obama opened his speech by saying, "This year, Ramadan is entirely in August. That means the days are long, the weather is hot and you are hungry. So I will be brief."

In addition to those names released by the White House, below, members of the press observed White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, State Department Special Envoy to Muslim Communities Farah Pandith, the Special Assistant to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Huma Abedin, Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan, White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett and Obama Special Assistant for Multilateral Affairs Samantha Power.

Guests at Wednesday's iftar, as released by the White House:

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS The Honorable Andre Carson, United States Representative The Honorable John Conyers, United States Representative The Honorable Keith Ellison, United States Representative The Honorable Donald Payne, United States Representative

DIPLOMATIC CORPS
Her Excellency Amina Salum Ali, Ambassador, African Union Mission
His Excellency Abdallah Baali, Ambassador, People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
His Excellency Yashar Aliyev, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Her Excellency Huda Ezra Nonoo, Ambassador of Bahrain
His Excellency Akramul Qader, Ambassador of the People's Republic of Bangladesh
His Excellency Bienvenu Joseph Charles Foe-Atangana, Ambassador of Cameroon
His Excellency Adam Bechir Mahamoud, Ambassador of the Republic of Chad
His Excellency Roble Olhaye, Ambassador of the Republic of Djibouti
His Excellency Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt
His Excellency Mory Karamoko Kaba, Ambassador of Guinea
His Excellency Bayney Ram Karran, Ambassador of Guyana
His Excellency Dino Patti Djalal, Ambassador of Indonesia
His Excellency Samir Shakir Mahmood Sumaida’ie, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq
His Excellency Micahel Scott Oren, Ambassador of Israel
His Excellency Aziz Mekour, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco
Her Excellency Aminata Maiga Djibrilla, Ambassador of Niger
Her Excellency Hunaina Sultan Ahmed Al Mughairy, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman
His Excellency Husain Haqqani, Ambassador of Pakistan
His Excellency Mr. Maen Areikat, Ambassador, PLO Mission
His Excellency Ali Bin Fahad Faleh Al-Hajri, Ambassador of the State of Qatar
His Excellency Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak, Ambassador of the Russian Federation
His Excellency Adel A.M. Al-Jubeir, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia
Her Excellency Fatou Danielle Diagne, Ambassador of Senegal
His Excellency Bockari Kortu Stevens, Ambassador of Sierra Leone
His Excellency Subhas Chandra Mungra, Ambassador of the Republic of Suriname
His Excellency Mwanaidi Sinare Maajar, Ambassador of Tanzania
His Excellency Edawe Limbiye Kadangha Bariki, Ambassador, Togo
His Excellency Namik Tan, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey
His Excellency Yousif Mana Saeed Alotaiba, Ambassador, United Arab Emirates
His Excellency Ilhomjon Tuychievich Nematov, Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan
His Excellency Abdulwahab A. Al Hajjri, Ambassador of the Republic Yemen
His Excellency Ufuk Gokcen, Ambassador and Permanent Observer, Organization of the Islamic Conference
The Honorable Damir Dzanko, Chargé d'Affaires at Interim of Bosnia
The Honorable Sufyan Salman Qudah, Chargé d'Affaires at Interim of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
The Honorable Jetish Jashari, Chargé d'Affaires at Embassy of Republic of Kosovo
The Honorable Tarek Ben Youssef, Chargé d'Affaires at Interim of Tunisia

COMMUNITY MEMBERS

Mr. Hamza Abdullah, Arizona Cardinals
Mr. Husain Abdullah, Minnesota Vikings
Ms. Dina Amer
Mrs. Durriya Badani, Brookings Institute
Ms. Faiza Arain, Los Angeles Police Department
Dr. Mahmoud Eboo, Aga Khan
Mr. Mohamed Ali Malouche, Tunisian American Young Professionals
Mr. Akram Syed, National Association of Indian Muslims
Mrs. Mansura Shajahan
Mr. Yusuf Shajahan
Dr. Manzoor Tariq, Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America

Comments

[Bdmi]

12:07 PM on 09/01/2011

Obama will never forego an opportunity to extol and praise to the hilts what he believes are "the virtues" of Mohamadanism - just as he never lets pass a chance to disparage or condemn Israel, as witness his recent demand that Israel retreat to its borders of 44 years ago, (1967)...Obama is some sort of schizoid/multiple-personality type with very deep-seated mental and emotional aberrations and the folks who put him in office should be ashamed of themselves for being so gullible and easily-manipulated.

[Bobrobert]

08:08 AM on 08/15/2011

Wow...

So much dislike for something President Bush started 10 years ago...

Wow...

Now I know why so many thought President Bush is to blame for destroying the middle class...

:-)

[layman]

07:22 AM on 08/15/2011

There should be no religious event of any kind in the White House, a government housing.
If certain group or sect need to be honored, they should be honored as "American" period,
nothing more and nothing less.

[Bobrobert]

07:59 AM on 08/15/2011

Religious freedom...

:-)

Many have died to allow religious events at the White House...

:-)

I am just saying...

:-)

[layman]

03:14 PM on 08/15/2011

Religious freedom outside government housing, outside government. Separation of church and state !

[GordymanLG]

09:58 PM on 08/14/2011

What an outrage! Did our President (who promised to bring us together) honor Good Friday or Easter? Nope.

But he has the gall, less than a month before the 10th anniversary of the outrageous 9/11 attacks by Muslim extremists on American soil, to pander to those who hate America.

To rewrite history to talk about the contributions by Muslims to American history is to rewrite it. The most important contributions made by Muslims in American history was to establish the US marines as the pre-eminent fighting force in the world by decimating the Barbary pirates.

To quote George Orwell : "Political language -- and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists -- is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." This is the essence of every word that is spewed forth from the cretin we now call a President.

Let show him some real community organizing in 2012!

[Bobrobert]

08:01 AM on 08/15/2011

Religious freedom...

Wonderful religious freedom...

So many have died to protect religious freedom in America...

:-)

[Puncastle]

08:31 AM on 08/15/2011

On April 25, 2011, the First Family hosted 30,000 people from all 50 states in their backyard for the 133rd White House Easter Egg Roll. This year's theme “Get Up and Go!” focused on promoting health and wellness, a central part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative to raise a healthier generation of kids. Watch President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama kick off the 2011 White House Easter Egg Roll, and check out video from some of the day’s other events.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/easterEggRoll (along with video)

Secondly, those invited to the White House do not hate America. It was quite an honor for them to be invited.

Thirdly, the only outrage is that prejudicial bigotry continues to be spewed out when America clearly espouses freedom of religion or no religion. It is what makes our nation so great.

[sjaent2001]

07:40 PM on 08/13/2011

Fasting is traditionally an exercise to sacrifice for a fixed time not to eat or drink and do other rituals from dawn to sunset. This ritual of fasting is ordained through all the major revealed religions. There is blessings in obeying the one and only one Creator of the Universe and to please Him to abstain from eating etc during the prescribed hours. The point is that in pleasing there is sacrifce and blessings --- you sacrifice, you please God and HE blesses you, the fasting teaches in its observance, one to be tolerant, and sharing and caring and feel the same feelings of hunger with the not so fortunate. Seldom you can see any ritual that can provide anyone all the benefits. We have learned a lot to loose a lot in pursuit of fears ----- atleast the fasting gives that assurance as you keep yourself in the presence of God there is nothing to fear ---- and that pleases HIM and he BLesses all. Fasting do provides one the Oneness Under God for the pursuit of salvation, justice and tolerance for all. Just visualize 1.5 billions faithful muslims across the globe observing fast, listening to the Quran in special evening prayers led by Imams reciting the whole Quran from memory. We should have no ill will to anyone for his faith, but look for what our faiths can do to bond us togather and we all try to regain the PARADISE LOST.

[sjaent2001]

12:54 AM on 08/14/2011

PS ----- WHERE AS ON THIS GLOBE YOU CAN SEE WHAT BRINGS PEOPLE IRRESPECTIVE OF CAST, COLOR OR ORIGIN AND TIME ZONES, TO LISTEN THE ONE MESSAGE ACROSS THE GLOBE WITH HUMILIATION AND SUPPLICATION --- IF WE TUNE IN TO SOMETHING THAT CAN BRING US TOGATHER LIKE THIS SHORT DURATION OF FASTING EXERCISE--- IT CAN HELP ALL ON THIS GLOBE THAT NO MATTER HOW MUCH DISAPPOINTED YOU MAY BE BUT WE ALL CAN COME TOGATHER FOR GOOD FOR ALL AND BECOME THE AFFLUENT MAJORITY OF THE HUMANITY WHO LIVED IN GRANDEUR AND GLORY FOR CENTURIES AND NOW WE ARE DIVIDED INTO MINORITIES AND FIND WAYS TO FORCE MAJORITY TO FORGET TOGATHER NESS AND FIND WAYS SO CAN FIGHT WITH WORDS AND LOGIC AND WITH NO CONSCIENCE UNFORTUNATELY ---- WE STILL CAN RECLAIM THE PARADIS LOST ---- FIND WAYS TO LISTEN TO GOOD AND GOOD AND NOT ADJECTIVES AND SUPERLATIVES OF HATE AND DEGRADEDNESS.

[santiago sherwood]

03:59 PM on 08/13/2011

Mr. President,

Could you please stop being so self destructive in your first term, You lost twice in the courts this week and now they right is going to prove you are a muslim. The jews will stop supporting you and they will end up being republicans and they right will get thier money. If the plan is to lose the next election you are doing as fine job.

[Doug Sandlin]

10:11 PM on 08/13/2011

He's safe on the Muslim thing.

Bush started the Ramadan dinner tradition in 2001.

[oldsftshoes]

08:17 AM on 08/13/2011

Where are the demonstrations, law suits from the atheists protesting our President hosting a religious event?

[pangborn]

09:29 AM on 08/13/2011

Simple answer-this was NOT a CHRISTIAN religious event.

[Ioan Lightoller]

02:51 PM on 08/13/2011

Oh, stop. Christians have MORE than enough recognition in this country. I am not an atheist but you don't hear me whine because there are no Pagan events at the White House. There are events for Christmas and Easter aplenty at the White House. Why is it you want recognition only for Christian (and possibly Jewish) events?

It is the intolerance of people like you that cause me to make sure that I say "happy holidays" instead of "merry Christmas". Learn to respect the religions and holidays of others in this country.

[Doug Sandlin]

10:12 PM on 08/13/2011

All Presidents do things like this.

Bush started the Ramadan dinner tradition in 2001.

[HaleemK]

03:19 AM on 08/13/2011

Information about quran

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riSJcZC89Hc&feature=player_embedded#at=70

[Doug Sandlin]

10:13 PM on 08/13/2011

That is one scary woman.

And not accurate about the Quran.

See for yourself.

http://www.hermetics.org/pdf/Quran.PDF

[kokonutgurl]

12:01 AM on 08/14/2011

what is not accurate?

[oldsftshoes]

07:09 AM on 08/14/2011

NOT ACCURATE???? looked like bacon to me!

[DenverWilliam]

02:13 AM on 08/13/2011

Obama honoring Americans....cool

[Ioan Lightoller]

02:51 PM on 08/13/2011

Faved. Yes, it is--and contrary to what the haters may think Muslims ARE Americans.

[kokonutgurl]

09:29 PM on 08/13/2011

There it is agian...The word Hate falls from you Lips..

[demsrsilly]

10:41 PM on 08/12/2011

Anyone who has a problem with this needs to shut it.

[Californiagrove]

02:24 PM on 08/13/2011

Obama is muslim. He should just admit it.

[Ioan Lightoller]

02:54 PM on 08/13/2011

Care to prove it? Last I heard, the man is a Baptist. If you can't prove it, then shut it.

[Doug Sandlin]

10:17 PM on 08/13/2011

Where do you get that misinformation?

"I wanted to host this breakfast for a simple reason -– because as busy as we are, as many tasks as pile up, during this season, we are reminded that there’s something about the resurrection — something about the resurrection of our savior, Jesus Christ, that puts everything else in perspective."
~President Obama, Easter Prayer Breakfast, 2011

http://www.shallownation.com/2011/04/19/president-obama-easter-prayer-breakfast-speech-video-transcript-april-19-2011/

Plus, Bush started the Ramadan dinner tradition at the White House. In 2001. After 9/11.

http://muslimvoices.org/obama-host-ramadan-dinner/

[Keely Shea]

11:57 AM on 08/12/2011

I wish those of you who are commending the president for having a dinner to honor the muslims could have been in Dearborn MI on 9/11. Dancing in the streets and burning our American flag.
It made me so sick and mad I had to pull over and throw up. I wish I would have had a camera to capture the images of these sick and misguided people on that terrible day. I was told not to go through there on my way home that day, and I wish I never had...

Shame on all of our presidents who have honored and continue to honor a culture and religion of hatred, murder and intolerance. I'm going to dance in the streets and burn a muslim flag when Obama gets booted out of office in 2012. You can bet the farm on it.

[HaleemK]

01:15 PM on 08/12/2011

Depends totally on the definition of innocent

[demsrsilly]

10:37 PM on 08/12/2011

Good analogy, there are loons everywhere. There are scum muslims and scum christians.

[greenlass]

12:25 PM on 08/12/2011

Interesting.
Here in the city where the towers came down, no such behavior. What do you make of that fact? That people of all faiths and walks of life can have experienced what they did on September 11th, and that it had the effect of bonding them and expanding their humanity, rather than contracting them into anger and hatred? I think you should take a lesson from the people in the place where the events actually happened.

Here, there are mosques in all the neighborhoods. Muslims in burqas and headscarves sitting next to non-Muslims on the bus. No vandalizing, fighting, hate talk.

It's in the hinterlands of this country, where people go out of their way to avoid contact with folks who are "different", that this fear/anger/hate hysteria comes out of. Too isolated and too ignorant of other realities, it seems to me.

Living in other cities often made me ashamed - and afraid - of other Americans. Living in NYC makes me proud to be one.

[kokonutgurl]

05:11 AM on 08/13/2011

You seem disdain...

[92102]

11:17 AM on 08/12/2011

While all of you "Christians" attack President Obama for hosting a Ramadan dinner at the white house, please take a moment to examine actual history of similar events. The recent tradition of acknowledging Muslim-Americans at a Ramadan dinner was started by President Clinton and continued through the George W. Bush and now Barak Obama administrations. Attacking the president for hosting this year's event without attacking Bush is disingenuous at best and blatently hypocritical at worst.

Additionally, there is recorded history of Thomas Jefferson hosting a similar dinner in 1805. It was not set up or intended to be a Ramadan dinner per se, but in acknowledgement of the custom, when an envoy from Tunisia was in Washington and was invited to the White House for dinner during Ramadan, the time was changed from 3:30 in the afternoon to after sunset in order to show respect for the envoy's religious beliefs.

Regarding all of the anti-Muslim rhetoric, yes the perpetrators of 9/11 were Muslim. However, those criminals do not represent the views and beliefs of all Muslims, just as Timothy McVeigh, Westboro Baptist Church, Anders Breivik, Randall Terry and the KKK do not represent all 'Christians.' Quite frankly, Jesus, would be quite distressed by all of the hate being spewed by many of the comments on this and other threads. Many of you should really take some time to reflect of the real meaning of 'Christianity.' I don't think hate is one of its tennants.

[Intelligenti Pauca]

11:43 AM on 08/12/2011

Nice to hear another voice of reason, even if the ignorant try & shout to drown you out.

F&F

[Doug Sandlin]

05:55 PM on 08/12/2011

Yep.

Here's the background on Ramadan dinners at the White House (started by George W. Bush, in 2001, *after* the 9/11 attacks --- indicating that he, too, was smart enough not confuse regular Muslims and Muslim terrorists).

http://muslimvoices.org/obama-host-ramadan-dinner/

Why are people okay with Christians being invited to the White House, when the Irish Republican Army has blown stuff up, and killed people?

[Rianna]

06:23 PM on 08/12/2011

It is hatred, ignorance, and for some a political agenda, that surfaces here, at the mere mention of Muslims. It seems they try to paint ALL Muslims with the same biased brush, and some seem unable to handle the fact that Muslims have normal lives, and being acknowledged at the White House. It would seem they prefer to have the Muslims suffering in every aspect of life. Too bad for them.

[Intelligenti Pauca]

10:08 AM on 08/12/2011

So many ignorant posts that contain nothing but lies, misinforma­tion & hyperbole. Why don't you educate yourselves­.

1. Obama's "Muslim Americans were first responders­­":

The actual quote is "Muslim Americans were first responders­­". And it's entirely true. Muslim Americans WERE first responders­­, along with Jewish Americans, Christian Americans, Catholic Americans, etc, etc. Nowhere does Obama say Muslim Americans were the ONLY first responders­­. Quit trying to read things into the quote for the sole purpose of perpetuati­ng your Obama rage-psych­osis.

2. Obama cancelled the National Day of Prayer:

No he didn't. There is no official ceremony (president­ial or otherwise) prescribed for the observance of the National Day of Prayer. It is a day on which the people of the US are called upon "to turn to God in prayer & meditation­," however they choose to do so.

http://www­.snopes.co­m/politics­/obama/pra­yerday.asp

Furthermor­e:

"Observanc­es of the National Day of Prayer took place throughout the U.S. in 2009 and again in 2010. The status of the National Day of Prayer is currently somewhat uncertain, though, as on 15 April 2010 a federal judge ruled in favor of a challenge brought by the Freedom from Religion Foundation and held that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitu­tional. The Obama administra­tion was actually the defendant in that suit, arguing in favor of retaining the National Day of Prayer."

[kejavas]

05:15 AM on 08/12/2011

every chance e gets, he pays tribute or bows to a muslim------we never hear that about his claimed "co-Christians"

[Intelligenti Pauca]

10:08 AM on 08/12/2011

Nice double standard. Typical from you people.

[kejavas]

11:40 AM on 08/12/2011

really? address the statement

[farberj]

12:00 PM on 08/12/2011

it may hurt,but it's right.

[Grazziella]

11:00 AM on 08/12/2011

How is it that 252 people are actually fans of you?

[kejavas]

11:41 AM on 08/12/2011

how is it that you cannot answer a simple question?

[farberj]

12:03 PM on 08/12/2011

how is it 74 people are actualy fans of you?

[Don Stalvino]

01:26 AM on 08/12/2011

"Obama emphasized the role that Muslim Americans played in the wake of the attacks, and their contributions to the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan." Why didn't he emphasize their role causing the attack?

[BlackWidowPilot]

04:45 AM on 08/12/2011

And what role did American Muslims play in the 9/11 attacks, citizen? What percentage of them were involved in aiding and abetting the perps?

You do realize that the majority of the perps were Saudi nationals, and that then-President George W. Bush allowed members of bin Laden's family to fly out of the country immediately after the attacks?

Do you even know the difference between a Suni and a Shiite, a Sufi or a Wahhabi?

Do tell.

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

PROTESTant

[kokonutgurl]

05:15 AM on 08/12/2011

in response too..
" Do you even know the difference between a Suni and a Shiite, a Sufi or a Wahhabi?

There Brothers from a diffent mother but same Father...allah

[kejavas]

05:23 AM on 08/12/2011

All of the hijackers were muslims. Asking what % of them were involved is not the right question. Why not ask how many muslims danced in the streets on 911? Did you forget that, non-citizen?aS FOR bin ladens family: It was not just them but a lot of Saudis that left, none have ever been suspects either. This didn't take place during the FAA-imposed ban on air travel in the US. The two flights in question took wing on September 18 and 19, days after the ban on air travel was lifted.

[sunnyboyfar]

09:29 AM on 08/12/2011

Because He knows that not all Muslims attacked us on 9/11 only the one`s who were demented in their interpretation. If you can`t understand that i suggest you head back to school.

[farberj]

12:11 PM on 08/12/2011

but they danced in the streets,and sang praises to their god for their successful mission.seen it with my own eyes.