CAIR’s 16th Ramadan Iftar at the California State Capitol
By Ras H. Siddiqui
The Council on American-Islamic Relations - California Chapter (CAIR-CA) held its 16th Annual Ramadan Iftar at the California State Capitol on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, supported this year by Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez Reyes and the influential Asian Pacific Islander and Latino Caucuses. This event began in 2004, during some very difficult times for Muslims in America post-9/11, and it has successfully grown to the point that the venue located in the basement of the State Capitol (which holds around 200 guests) fills to its capacity quickly, and has become a by invitation only affair. This year was no exception and it was nice to see many old friends and some potentially new ones.
Ramadan is a deeply spiritual month for Muslims around the world (it is the month that the Qur’an was revealed) during which followers of the Islamic faith fast from sunrise to sunset, abstaining from any drink or food and other worldly pleasures and instead pursue prayer and an internal or personal closeness or connection with God. It is also a month of great sharing, of faith, food, charity and friendship which is not exclusive to those within the Islamic faith. Gatherings like this Iftar at the California State Capitol help to foster goodwill and better understanding with people from all backgrounds who get to witness the religion of Islam in practice and an opportunity to break bread with Muslims. Members of the Legislature also get an opportunity to interact directly with some of California’s Muslim activists and leaders here.
The evening started off with guest registration and a social hour. The formalities began with a beautiful recitation from the Holy Qur’an by Dr Khalid Sayedi with an English translation of the verses presented by Zara Rodriguez-Alnayem. Event emcee Maheen Ahmed greeted everyone and shared some details about the scheduled program and about Ramadan for the benefit of non-Muslim friends present. She also invited CAIR-San Francisco Bay Area Executive Director Zahra Billoo to officially welcome everyone and to share her thoughts with us.
Zahra said that we are living in difficult times when we get news frequently about places of worship being attacked and people experiencing hate crimes. Whether it is the Black Churches in the South, or the Synagogue in San Diego just a couple of weeks ago or a Mosque in New Haven, Connecticut where the perpetrators are not just individuals who are hateful actors. She commended CAIR-California for being at the frontlines fighting for the rights of all Californians and thanked the key sponsors of this event. She also said that she was really looking forward to dinner!
Next, Imam Amr Dabour, who has just recently taken spiritual leadership of the SALAM Islamic Center, presented his views on the “Spirit of Ramadan”. His talk centered around what the religion actually teaches (sharing, brotherhood) and the humanistic element that Muslims cannot ignore during this holy month. He spoke about the beauty of this gathering because of how it brought everyone together. He elaborated on “Gratitude” to God which should not be taken for granted, which is what the hunger during Ramadan teaches us. Secondly, he spoke of “Change” and the schedule flexibility that shakes up our lives during this holy month. And thirdly, we have “To let Go” of our grudges and anger (forgiveness is key) during this month.
Mark Farouk, Chief of Staff of Assemblymember Eloise Reyes, followed next with the presentation of the Ramadan Resolution to CAIR-California during which he was assisted by a number of elected officials present. The Resolution was passed through the legislature with a vote of 65 to 0. Three elected officials also took the opportunity to make some brief comments.
State Senator Melissa Hurtado (14th District Democrat-Fresno/Bakersfield) became the youngest person to hold that office after she defeated incumbent Republican Senator Andy Vidak in 2018 which in itself is quite a feat. She thanked everyone for being here on this special occasion and highlighted “Giving Back” and coming together, especially during this time when there is a lot of hate.
Assemblymember Jim Cooper (District 9) spoke next. Cooper represents an area just south of Sacramento, including Elk Grove, where he has a large number of minority voters including many Muslims. He also has a strong background in Law Enforcement. He said that the only thing that is standing between you and breaking the fast is politicians! He added that Ramadan is a time of self-sacrifice, self-reflection, and prayer. He spoke of the need these days to rise above discrimination and hate and proudly cited California offering resistance to the disconcerting trend.
Assemblymember Ash Kalra from the 27th District which includes major parts of San Jose started his speech with the customary Muslim greeting of Assalamualaikum (Peace be upon you). He said that the last time he was in this room was for the (South Asian-Punjabi) Vaisakhi Resolution celebration and that we should not take for granted that we live in such an amazing place (California). He thanked CAIR, California for hosting this very important event. He added that we do live in difficult times. He said that he was proud to be the first Indian-American and Hindu in the State Legislature and that part of his responsibility was to stand up for all.
CAIR-Sacramento Valley Executive Director Basim Elkarra next recognized and thanked many people ranging from members of the legislature, prominent visitors and locals and leaders of ethnic and religious groups who were present or had supported this event. The concluding Dua (prayer) was presented by Imam Amr and Dr Khalid Sayedi returned to recite the Adhan (Muslim call to prayer) signaling the breaking of the fast.
To conclude, it is a good to see that all the people in our Golden State of California are concerned about our collective rights, irrespective of our ethnic, racial or religious backgrounds. Kudos to the people who started this annual event 16 years ago, since all of us benefit from their effort today. Ramadan Mubarak to all readers from the California State Capitol once again!
