{"id":286673,"date":"2018-05-17T14:23:16","date_gmt":"2018-05-17T18:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/?p=286673"},"modified":"2018-05-17T14:23:28","modified_gmt":"2018-05-17T18:23:28","slug":"president-trump-marks-ramadan-noting-the-richness-muslims-add-to-the-religious-tapestry-of-american-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2018\/05\/president-trump-marks-ramadan-noting-the-richness-muslims-add-to-the-religious-tapestry-of-american-life\/","title":{"rendered":"President Trump marks Ramadan, noting ‘the richness Muslims add to the religious tapestry of American life’\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

An interesting development, as reported by The Washington Post:\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Offering warm greetings on Ramadan and hosting an iftar meal have been standard White House behavior for decades during the major Muslim holiday \u2014 but not during the Trump presidency. That appears to be changing.<\/p>\n

Ramadan last year featured\u00a0a White House holiday statement<\/a>\u00a0focusing on terrorism, including\u00a0President Trump\u2019s comment<\/a>\u00a0that the sacred holiday tens of millions observe \u201cstrengthens awareness of our shared obligation to reject violence.\u201d The White House and the State Department broke with tradition and didn\u2019t hold a celebratory iftar (the ceremonial break-fast meal each sunset during Ramadan).<\/p>\n

But Tuesday,\u00a0the White House\u00a0released a statement<\/a>\u00a0with a markedly different tone, saying Ramadan \u201creminds us of the richness Muslims add to the religious tapestry of American life.\u201d The month-long holiday begins this week.<\/p>\n

The White House is also exploring working with the State Department to host an iftar in early June, said Ray Mahmood, a prominent Muslim real estate developer who has long been involved in interfaith diplomacy in the D.C. area.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they are doing one, from what we\u2019ve heard,\u201d Mahmood said. Asked about the weight of such a ritual event at a time when the country is experiencing a rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric and actions, and as the White House continues in court to press what candidate Trump called the \u201cMuslim ban,\u201d Mahmood said these steps are significant.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they are very important to the Muslim community. At least they feel the president at the White House is doing this, which shows some tolerance and acceptance,\u201d he said Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Read the rest.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The complete statement<\/a> <\/strong>from President Trump:<\/p>\n

With the rising of tonight\u2019s moon, I send my greetings and best wishes to all Muslims observing Ramadan in the United States and around the world.<\/p>\n

During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Quran to the prophet Muhammad through fellowship and prayer.\u00a0 Many observe this holy time by fasting, performing acts of charity, reciting prayers, and reading the Quran.<\/p>\n

Ramadan is a time of self-reflection intended to deepen one\u2019s spiritual growth and renew a sense of appreciation for the many blessings God provides.\u00a0 In this spirit of thanksgiving and reflection, those observing Ramadan can strengthen our communities, help those in need, and serve as good examples for how to live a holy life.<\/p>\n

Ramadan reminds us of the richness Muslims add to the religious tapestry of American life.\u00a0 In the United States, we are all blessed to live under a Constitution that fosters religious liberty and respects religious practice. \u00a0Our Constitution ensures Muslims can observe Ramadan in accordance with the dictates of conscience and unimpeded by government. \u00a0By doing so, the Constitution also furnishes varied opportunities for all Americans to deepen their understanding of the human soul.<\/p>\n

As so many people unite to celebrate Ramadan, Melania and I join in the hope for a blessed month.\u00a0 Ramadan Mubarak.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An interesting development, as reported by The Washington Post:\u00a0 Offering warm greetings on Ramadan and hosting an iftar meal have been standard White House behavior for decades during the major Muslim holiday \u2014 but not during the Trump presidency. That appears to be changing. Ramadan last year featured\u00a0a White House holiday statement\u00a0focusing on terrorism, including\u00a0President […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":286676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[602],"tags":[11786,11208],"class_list":["post-286673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-muslims","tag-donald-trump","tag-muslims"],"yoast_head":"\nPresident Trump marks Ramadan, noting 'the richness Muslims add to the religious tapestry of American life'\u00a0<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An interesting development, as reported by The Washington Post:\u00a0 Offering warm greetings on Ramadan and hosting an iftar meal have been standard White\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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