White House to celebrate Diwali and Eid
President George Bush welcomed Muslim leaders to the White House Monday evening for the traditional meal that marks the end of the daily Ramadan fast. His guests included prominent Muslim-Americans and ambassadors from countries with large Islamic populations.
It has become an annual event at the White House, an opportunity for the president to mark the holy month of Ramadan by hosting an Iftaar dinner.
“Our distinguished guests represent the millions of Muslims that we are proud to call Americans, and many Islamic nations represented here that America is proud to call friend,” Mr. Bush says.
President Bush spoke of Islam as a religion that emphasizes faith and family. And he urged all those in the room to join a number of well-known Muslim scholars in denouncing those who - in his words - commit evil in God’s name.
“I appreciate those of you here who have joined these scholars in rejecting violent extremists and I believe the time has come for all responsible Islamic leaders to denounce an ideology that exploits Islam for political ends and defiles your noble faith,” Mr. Bush says.
This was the fifth Iftaar dinner hosted by President Bush at the White House. The first was held after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States as part of an all-out effort to convince the Muslim-American community that its contributions to the nation are appreciated, and to underscore the message that the United States is waging war on terrorism and not on Islam.
White House will also be hosting Hindu festival Diwali for the third consecutive year.
“The White House will host a Diwali function to honor Indian Americans, and we are thankful that President George W Bush will send an administration official on his behalf to share this joyous occasion with us,” IARC Chairman R Vijayanagar said.
“I want to express my sincere thanks to the White House staff, especially Rhonda Keenum, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Public Liaison, for helping to arrange the Diwali celebration this year,” he said.
“Our community works with these dedicated public servants on an ongoing basis, creating a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas. The White House continues to encourage Indian Americans to become part of mainstream conservative movement, and this event is another example of solid support for our community,” Vijayanagar said.
Diwali will be officially celebrated at the White House on November 1. Guru Gaurangbhai Nanavaty and Srimati Darshanaben Nanavaty of Chinmaya Houston http://www.chinmayahouston.org/ would be speaking the importance of Diwali.
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I didn’t argue with anyone