Eid celebration in White House
\nWASHINGTON
\nUS President Joe Biden celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr at a White House reception Monday with calls for religious tolerance and praise for the contributions of Muslim-Americans.
\n\u201cMuslims make our nation stronger every single day, even as they still face real challenges and threats in our society, including targeted violence and Islamophobia that exist \u2014 I mean, it\u2019s just astounding,\u201d he told a large gathering at which Arooj Aftab, a Pakistani singer and composer, was one of the speakers.
\nThe other were: First Lady Jill Biden and Dr. Talib Shareef, Imam of Masjid Muhammad, known as \u2018The Nation\u2019s Mosque\u2019 in Washington, DC.US Vice President Kamala Harris, who tested positive for coronavirus last week, was absent, though she had been scheduled to attend with first gentleman Doug Emhoff, who attended the event alone.
\nArooj, who recently became the first Pakistani woman to win a Grammy, a major annual American entertainment award, read \u201cThe Promise\u201d by Rumi, a 13th-century Sufi mystic and poet.
\nThe Brooklyn, New York-based Arooj won the Grammy for singing Hafeez Hoshiarpuri\u2019s Ghazal, \u201cMohabbat Karne Wale Kam Na Honge\u201d in the Best Global Performance category at a glittering ceremony in Las Vagas on April 3.
\nPakistan\u2019s Ambassador to the United States Masood Khan also attended the reception along with Washington-based members of the diplomatic corps.
\nGuests at the White House ceremony included Cambridge, Massachusetts, Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and New Jersey Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer \u2014 both of Pakistani origin \u2014 among others.
\nMs Siddiqui is currently serving her second term as mayor, and third on the Cambridge City Council. Ms. Jaffer, an educator and activist, recently completed two terms as mayor of Montgomery Township, New Jersey. In January of 2019, she became the first South Asian woman to serve as mayor of a municipality in New Jersey, and the first Muslim woman to serve as mayor of a municipality in the United States.
\nThose in attendance also included members of the US Foreign Service, two Muslim members of Congress \u2014 Andre Carson and Rashida Tlaib \u2014 as well as prominent Muslim Americans, thought leaders, and activists.
\nIn holding the reception on Monday, President Biden restored Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations at the White House after his predecessor \u2014 Donald Trump \u2014 scrapped them.
\nBiden said he\u2019d promised as a presidential candidate to bring back marking Eid-ul-Fitr at the White House \u2014 but was forced to hold a virtual celebration last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. \u201cToday, around the world, we\u2019ve seen so many Muslims that have been targeted by violence. No one, no one should discriminate against or be oppressed, or be repressed, for their religious beliefs,\u201d Biden said. \u201cWe have to acknowledge that an awful lot of work remains to be done, abroad and here at home,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cMuslim-Americans enriching the fabric of this nation is a testament to the Quran\u2019s teaching: \u2018We have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another,\u201d Biden said in the East Room, quoting the holy book.
\nBiden, who is Catholic, said there were a lot of similarities between all the three major religions. He said, \u201cFor the first time in decades, three Abrahamic faiths all celebrate their holy days at the same time,\u201d listing Ramazan, Passover and Easter.
\nMuslims celebrate the three-day Eid-ul-Fitr holiday at the conclusion of Ramazan, a holy month in which Muslims fast. \u201cThrough their fast, Muslims demonstrate empathy for the suffering of others, strengthening and renewing their resolve to give generously and to make the world a better place, better for all who suffer,\u201d Biden said.
\nImam Talib Shareef said of the White House gathering, \u201cBeing hosted here is an important statement for our nation and for the world. A statement that Islam is a welcome part of our nation together with all the other faith traditions,\u201d Shareef said. \u201cAnd that the highest office in this land is committed to our nation\u2019s foundational values and laws protecting religious freedom.\u201d
\nAlso addressing the event was first lady Jill Biden, who drew applause by saying that the holiday embodies above all \u201ca joy born from love. Love for our families and for our communities, and for this community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Eid celebration in White House WASHINGTON US President Joe Biden celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr at a White House reception Monday with calls for religious tolerance and praise for the contributions of Muslim-Americans. \u201cMuslims make our nation stronger every single day, even as they still face real challenges and threats in our society, including targeted violence and Islamophobia […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":231492,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[6867,503,6866,6868],"class_list":{"0":"post-258969","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-contribution","9":"tag-joe-biden","10":"tag-us-muslims","11":"tag-us-president"},"yoast_head":"\n