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ISCA
Chairman Joins Powell for State Department Iftar
ISCA applauds secretary's condemnation of religious
bigotry
WASHINGTON,
DC - On Monday, November 18, Islamic Supreme Council
of America Chairman Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani was honored
to join Secretary of State of Colin Powell for a traditional
fast-breaking feast at the U.S. State Department. During the
Ramadan celebration, Secretary Powell emphasized that Muslims
are an important part of the fabric of American life and urged
all Americans to reject religious bigotry.
After
the event Shaykh Kabbani declared, "Mr. Powell's recent
public statements, including his statement tonight, all demonstrate
the administration's respect for Islam as a religion of peace
and tolerance and show that the war on terror is not a war
on Islam."
This was
the second time this month that Shaykh Kabbani has been invited
to the nation's capitol for an iftar celebration. The first
was at the White House as a guest of President George W. Bush.
"These
events demonstrate the Bush Administration's strong commitment
to support the Muslim community," the shaykh said.
During
his remarks Mr. Powell said, "From Muslims here tonight,
especially in the conversations we have been having at the
table ... I have learned to respect Ramadan as an intensely
spiritual time, a month of worship, a month of contemplation
and self-renewal for Muslims everywhere."
The secretary
also took issue with those who seek to divide America along
religious lines.
"In
our diversity and our spirituality, our tolerance and our
commitment to human dignity, lies our strength and lies our
hope," he said. "We must not listen to the siren
song of the bigots and extremists who cloak themselves in
false spirituality in an attempt to divide and to weaken us."
Secretary
Powell graciously remained after the event to talk with the
attendees and pose for pictures.
ISCA was
encouraged by Mr. Powell's message of tolerance, as well as
by the presence of so many moderate Muslim leaders at the
event, particularly Drs. Malik Hasan, Nazeer Ahmed and Hedieh
Mirahmadi of Center for American Muslim Understanding (CAMU).
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