Monday night, President Obama hosted an Iftar dinner at the White House, commemorating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Iftar is the nightly breaking of the fast during Ramadan, in which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.
One of the guests recognized at this year’s dinner was Samantha Elauf, who won a Supreme Court case after she was denied a job at Abercrombie Kids because of her wearing of the hijab.
The President spoke about the need to reject leaders who want to divide us by race or sect, and cautioned against getting information about Muslims from the media:
“Here in America, many people personally don’t know someone who is Muslim.
They mostly hear about Muslims in the news — and that can obviously lead to a very distorted impression.”
Obama also addressed the protests against a mosque in Arizona during which its Muslim worshippers invited protesters to prayer:
“One demonstrator, who accepted the invitation later, described how the experience changed him; how he finally saw the Muslim American community for what it is — peaceful and welcoming.
That’s what can happen when we stop yelling and start listening.”
In contrast, in December the President offered words of encouragement to the protesters in Ferguson, where millions of dollars in property and several small businesses were lost.
http://www.ijreview.com/2015/06/351376-white-house-ramadan-dinner-obama-laments-distorted-view-muslims/
Posted By: Jeni Fa
Wednesday, June 24th 2015 at 11:36AM
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