White House Iftar dinner

The White House Iftar dinner is an annual reception held at the White House and hosted by the U.S. President and the First Lady to celebrate the Muslim month of Ramadan. The annual tradition started in 1996 when Hillary Clinton hosted a Ramadan Eid celebration dinner. The modern iteration of the reception is attended by prominent members of the Muslim American community including politicians, community leaders and students.

Thomas Jefferson held the first White House dinner with a Muslim while hosting Sidi Soliman Mellimelli, an envoy of Beylik of Tunis, on December 9, 1805, during the First Barbary War.[1] Jefferson adjusted the timing of the meal to after sunset to accommodate Sidi Soliman Mellimelli's Ramadan tradition.[2]

Annual receptions

President Barack Obama hosts an Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan in the East Room of the White House.

President Bill Clinton continued the tradition,[3] as did George W. Bush who hosted an iftar dinner at the White House in 2001. Bush subsequently continued the dinners every year of his two terms. Barack Obama hosted his first Ramadan dinner in 2009, and subsequently every year of his presidency.[4]

In 2017, Donald Trump broke the two decade old White House tradition by opting not to host an Iftar dinner at the White House[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Shellnutt, Kate (August 4, 2011). "Thomas Jefferson held first White House Ramadan celebration". IIP Digital. blog.chron.com. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  2. ↑ "Thomas Jefferson's Iftar". IIP Digital. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  3. ↑ One Nation Under God? Religion and American Culture. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. 2013. pp. 15–16. ISBN 1135207852.
  4. ↑ "Guest list for Obama's White House Ramadan dinner". September 1, 2009.
  5. ↑ Delk, Josh (25 June 2017). "Trump breaks with "tradition", forgoes Ramadan dinner". The Hill. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
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