WASHINGTON: Efforts to mainstream Muslims and their faith marked the month of fasting in the United States this year — as Muslims and their Christian and Jewish friends reached out to other Americans with a message of unity.

And there was no better platform than an interfaith iftar to convey this message. Churches and synagogues joined mosques across America in hosting interfaith iftars while some also encouraged their followers to attend regular iftars at their neighborhood mosques.

The last iftar, on the Eid evening, at a Presbyterian church in Fairfax, Virginia, brought a large crowd, which dispersed quickly as most Muslims were already in a festive mood. There were three Chand Raat melas in Virginia alone, each packed to capacity. People often had to wait for more than two hours to get in as the Fire Department only allows a certain number of people inside a building. So, the organisers had to push people out to get new comers in.

The Trump administration joined the celebrations with an Eid message:

Churches and synagogues joined mosques in hosting interfaith iftars

“On behalf of the United States Department of State, I would like to wish all Muslims a blessed Eid al-Fitr,” said US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo in a message released on Chand Raat.

“As you attend Eid prayers, share gifts, and visit each other’s homes on this joyous occasion, we extend our best wishes to you. Eid Mubarak,” he wrote.

The Pakistan Embassy was among the first to host an interfaith iftar — bringing together representatives of the Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist communities to share a traditional Pakistani iftar dinner, with pakoras and samosas.

President Donald Trump hosted his second iftar this year. In 2017, Mr Trump broke the tradition that President Bill Clinton started in 1996 and did not host a reception.

Before addressing his host, Mr Trump introduced Vice President Mike Pence and other members of his cabinet to his guests, mostly Muslim diplomats.

“Ramadan is a time when people joined forces in pursuit of hope, tolerance, and peace. It is in this spirit that we come together tonight,” he said.

But the iftar that was the talk of the town was the one hosted at the Capitol, as American lawmakers used this opportunity to encourage American Muslims to come forward and join the mainstream. The congressional iftar also provided an opportunity to three Muslim lawmakers — Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and André Carson, all Democrats — to explain their faith to their colleagues.

The Washington Post noted that this “break-the-fast meal in the halls of Congress included a hefty serving of politics alongside the naan and kebabs”.

The New York Times even listed the food served at this iftar: “Dates, spiced rice, baked pumpkin, salad and fruit — and cans of whipped cream for sundaes.”

The Guardian noted “the fast was the first to be organised by three Muslim members of Congress and be attended by party leadership”.

Speakers included the House majority leader, Steny Hoyer, Senate minority whip, Dick Durbin, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive star and close friend of Ms Omar’s and Ms Tlaib’s, the first-ever Muslim women in Congress.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez condemned the targeting of Ms Omar and Ms Tlaib, stating: “We know these divisions are a distraction, and they are rooted in the subjugation of all the communities involved that are being pitted against one another.”

“We wanted to bring a different lens that hasn’t been at the table. “And we’ve had to do it courageously, even under attack,” Ms Tlaib said.

Khizr Muazzam Khan — a Pakistani American whose son Humayun Khan was captain in the US Army and was killed in 2004 during the Iraq War — was a guest of honour.

House Majority Hoyer told the mostly Muslim audience, “The Bible doesn’t tell me to love my neighbour if they’re Christian ... The Bible tells me to love my neighbour”.

Senator Durbin told the guests that “your religion gives you values and inspiration” and pledged to work with them to stop those who attack Muslims because their “rhetoric is so hateful, so divisive, so deadly”.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2019