By IINA,
Washington : U.S. President George Bush hosted a dinner breaking the fast of the holy month of Ramadan. This was the president’s eighth Iftar dinner in eight years at the White House. Bush gave thanks for the many ways that Muslim Americans enrich the lives of all Americans. “One of the great strengths of our nation is its religious diversity. Americans practice many different faiths. We all share a belief in the right to worship freely. We reject bigotry in all its forms. And over the past eight years, my administration has been proud to work closely with Muslim Americans to promote justice and tolerance of all faiths,” he said before sitting down for dinner yesterday with about 110 guests in the White House State Dining Room. The president singled out some of those attending the Iftar dinner, including those who have worked on America’s space program as well as those who have made advances in health care and technology.
This year’s event highlighted American Muslims who have made technological, artistic or innovative contributions to society. Bush singled out Maysam Ghovanloo, an immigrant from Iran who is a biomedical engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is working on an invention to help people with disabilities operate a wheelchair or surf the Internet by moving their tongues. “Stories like the professor’s remind us that one of the great strengths of our nation is its religious diversity,” Bush said. “Americans practice many different faiths. But we all share a belief in the right to worship freely.”
“Muslim thinkers and scientists have advanced the frontiers of human knowledge. People of all faiths have benefited from the achievements of Muslims in fields from philosophy and poetry to mathematics and medicine. At the beginning of a new century, Muslims in the United States are continuing this proud tradition of innovation and invention,” Voice of America quoted him as saying. Bush said the United States has partnered with Muslims around the world to spread freedom. “We are helping the people of Iraq and Afghanistan build free societies after decades of tyranny. And during the month of reflection, we will remember all the brave Muslim Americans who wear the uniform of the United States armed forces. They represent the best of our nation. I am honored to be their Commander-in-Chief,” he said.
The president was joined in the State Dining Room by guests who included Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nassar Muhammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah. U.S. Army Military Chaplin Abdullah Hulwe offered the evening’s prayer, asking God to grant those present the strength to meet all dangers with courage and wisdom and all occasions with discipline and loyalty. “Help us to use our fasting as an instrument for the betterment of all humanity and peace throughout the world. We thank you for the strength of character that Ramadan gives us. Help us to use it to defend and preserve liberty with all righteousness with peace as the supreme desire of our hearts,” he said. The guests, including members of Congress, military personnel and members of the U.S. diplomatic corps, sat at nearly a dozen tables, each adorned with four burning tapers and a bowl of flowers. The guests dined on eggplant soup and halibut with a pistachio crust.