California Lawmakers Celebrate Ramadan with Muslim Community
By Elaine Pasquini
Photos by Phil Pasquini
Sacramento: The Council on American-Islamic Relations, California Chapter (CAIR-CA) celebrated the holy month of Ramadan with its annual iftar – the meal after sunset that concludes Muslims’ daylong fast – co-hosted by speaker of the California State Assembly Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), at the Sacramento state Capitol Rotunda on April 10.
This 17th annual Ramadan iftar was the first held at the Capitol since 2019 when the Covid-19 pandemic prevented such in-person gatherings.
Omar Altamimi, CAIR-CA’s policy and advocacy coordinator based out of the Sacramento Valley and Central California office, was the program emcee and one of the hard-working organizers of the evening event.
The program began with a Qur’an recitation on the subject of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan by Imam Abdullah of the Muslim American Society Community and Youth Center in Elk Grove, California.
Next, Khydeeja Alam Javid, president of the CAIR Sacramento Valley/Central Valley Chapter, welcomed the 150 community members and guests gathered in the Capitol Rotunda beneath the historic dome.
“We come together today to honor the values of compassion, unity, and generosity that is at the heart of Ramadan,” Javid said. “This month is a time of reflection, self-improvement, and spiritual renewal for millions of Muslims around the world.”
She reminded the audience that Ramadan is a time for community members to reach out to their neighbors and build bridges for understanding and solidarity. The gathering in the Capitol, she said, is a “wonderful opportunity to come together as one community to share in the blessings of Ramadan and to deepen our bonds of friendship and cooperation. May this gathering be a source of inspiration, enlightenment, and unity for us all.”
CAIR Sacramento Valley/Central Valley executive director Basim Elkarra pointed out that history had been made with the election of the first Muslim-American Senator Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward), who is also the first Afghan-American woman elected to public office in the United States.
Elkarra also noted that Assemblymember Bill Essayli (R-Riverside) is the first Muslim in history to be elected to the California State Assembly.
“Our Muslim community is a very vibrant and diverse community with both Democrats and Republicans,” he said. “We all respect one another and work together to uplift and not just empower our community but other communities as well.”
Elkarra went on to explain the meaning of Ramadan and its importance to Muslims worldwide. “This is the month that we feel how the less fortunate feel and their struggles,” he said. “It’s a time for families and communities to come together.”
He noted that in mosques throughout California when Muslims gather for nightly prayers one-30th of the Qur’an is read every evening so that when the month is over the entire Qur’an has been recited.
Rabbi Seth Castleman, director of the Exodus Project, mentioned the convergence this year of Easter, Passover and Ramadan, which happens only once every 30 years. “All three traditions talk about renunciation, devotion and aligning one’s own will with the will of the Divine,” he added.
While Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) was raised Catholic, he told the crowd that he believes Ramadan carries a universal message – for Muslims and non-Muslims. “Everyone can benefit from some time to reflect, recharge, get in touch with where that empty space in their heart may really be coming from and to connect with the things that matter most in life,” the senator stated.
Senator Aisha Wahab, author of Senate bill SB 461 that allows people to choose whatever holiday they want to celebrate as a day off for state employees, mentioned how proud she is to be the first Muslim American to serve in the California state Senate, but added that she wouldn’t be the last.
I want to highlight the diversity in our communities. The Muslim community is not one color; it’s not one gender; there’s not one viewpoint; it’s not one language. We stand here today next to each other for different reasons. Some of us came here to support the Muslim community. Some of us came here to seek representation. Some of us came here to show our children that anything is possible. But we came here united in the thought that in this country it does not matter where you come from; it only matters what you plan to do with your life. Loving each other, respecting each other. These are the things that make us great Americans. And it is with that concept of the American dream that all of us belong regardless of what happens anywhere else. Regardless of the actions of one person; regardless of misunderstandings; we work towards improving that American dream and what that potential American dream holds.
Noting that he is the son of Lebanese immigrants, Essayli said it is a testament to the United States that the son of immigrants who came to California from a country with nothing can end up in the state legislature. “In what other country is that possible?” he asked.
The newly elected assemblyman recently authored Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 22 to express the California Legislature’s respect for Muslims across the state and throughout the world and acknowledge the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Essayli believes it is important to break down the barrier between different communities and the best way to do that is to dispel the notion of ‘otherness’ that separates people. “We should focus on our similarities…and we can have healthy and respectful discussion about our differences. But we should dispel this notion of otherness.”
Other attendees and speakers included West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero, Folsom Vice Mayor YK Chalamcherla, Elk Grove Vice Mayor Kevin Spease and Josh Becker (D-San Mateo).
Following the reception, guests enjoyed a fast-breaking dinner at CAIR’s Sacramento office and new art gallery.
(Elaine Pasquini is a freelance journalist. Her reports appear in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and Nuze.Ink.)
