{"id":3065,"date":"2017-05-26T12:29:41","date_gmt":"2017-05-26T19:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/cityofbrass\/?p=3065"},"modified":"2017-05-26T12:31:15","modified_gmt":"2017-05-26T19:31:15","slug":"the-president-and-ramadan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/cityofbrass\/2017\/05\/the-president-and-ramadan.html","title":{"rendered":"The President and Ramadan"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Obama’s Ramadan greetings were drafted by Muslims in his administration, so they are not perhaps as useful for comparison to President Trump. So instead, without much comment, I am reproducing President George W. Bush’s first Ramadan greeting, issued just a few months after the attacks of 9-11, with that of President Trump.<\/p>\n

President George W. Bush:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Message on the Observance of Ramadan<\/a>
\nNovember 15, 2001<\/em><\/p>\n

As the new moon signals the holy month of Ramadan, I extend warm greetings to Muslims throughout the United States and around the world. The Islam that we know is a faith devoted to the worship of one God, as revealed through The Holy Qu’ran. It teaches the value and importance of charity, mercy, and peace. And it is one of the fastest growing religions in America, with millions of American believers today.<\/p>\n

The American Muslim community is as varied as the many Muslim communities across the world. Muslims from diverse backgrounds pray together in mosques all across our great land. And American Muslims serve in every walk of life, including our armed forces.<\/p>\n

The Holy Qu’ran says: “Piety does not lie in turning your face to the East or West. Piety lies in believing in God.” (2:177). Americans now have turned to acts of charity, sending relief to the Afghan people, who have suffered for so many years. America is proud to play a leading role in the humanitarian relief efforts in Afghanistan, through airdrops and truck convoys of food, medicine, and other much-needed supplies. And today we are committed to working for the long-term reconstruction of that troubled land.<\/p>\n

We send our sincerest wishes to Muslims in America and around the world for health, prosperity, and happiness during Ramadan and throughout the coming year.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

President Donald J. Trump:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Statement from President Donald J. Trump on Ramadan<\/a>
\nMay 26, 2017<\/em><\/p>\n

On behalf of the American people, I would like to wish all Muslims a joyful Ramadan. <\/p>\n

During this month of fasting from dawn to dusk, many Muslims in America and around the world will find meaning and inspiration in acts of charity and meditation that strengthen our communities. At its core, the spirit of Ramadan strengthens awareness of our shared obligation to reject violence, to pursue peace, and to give to those in need who are suffering from poverty or conflict.<\/p>\n

This year, the holiday begins as the world mourns the innocent victims of barbaric terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom and Egypt, acts of depravity that are directly contrary to the spirit of Ramadan. Such acts only steel our resolve to defeat the terrorists and their perverted ideology. <\/p>\n

On my recent visit to Saudi Arabia, I had the honor of meeting with the leaders of more than 50 Muslim nations. There, in the land of the two holiest sites in the Muslim world, we gathered to deliver together an emphatic message of partnership for the sake of peace, security, and prosperity for our countries and for the world. <\/p>\n

I reiterate my message delivered in Riyadh: America will always stand with our partners against terrorism and the ideology that fuels it. During this month of Ramadan, let us be resolved to spare no measure so that we may ensure that future generations will be free of this scourge and able to worship and commune in peace. <\/p>\n

I extend my best wishes to Muslims everywhere for a blessed month as you observe the Ramadan traditions of charity, fasting, and prayer. May God bless you and your families.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Obama’s Ramadan greetings were drafted by Muslims in his administration, so they are not perhaps as useful for comparison to President Trump. So instead, without much comment, I am reproducing President George W. Bush’s first Ramadan greeting, issued just a few months after the attacks of 9-11, with that of President Trump. President George…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":165,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,14],"tags":[160,473,24,171,46],"class_list":["post-3065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-islamerica","category-the-pillars-of-faith","tag-9-11","tag-donald-trump","tag-islam","tag-president-bush","tag-ramadan"],"yoast_head":"\nThe President and Ramadan - City of Brass<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The President and Ramadan - City of Brass\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"President Obama’s Ramadan greetings were drafted by Muslims in his administration, so they are not perhaps as useful for comparison to President Trump. 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City of Brass is his weblog, which was founded in 2002 under the name UNMEDIA. He is a co-founder of the annual Brass Crescent Awards. The name City of Brass refers to the Story of the City of Brass in the Thousand and One Nights, and the poem by Rudyard Kipling of the same name: Here was a people whom, after their works, thou shalt see wept over for their lost dominion; And in this palace is the last information respecting lords collected in the dust. -- Thousand and One Nights, Story of the City of Brass IN A land that the sand overlays, the ways to her gates are untrod, A multitude ended their days whose fates were made splendid by God, Till they grew drunk and were smitten with madness and went to their fall, And of these is a story written: but Allah Alone knoweth all! -- Rudyard Kipling, The City of Brass (1909)"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/cityofbrass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/cityofbrass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/cityofbrass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/cityofbrass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/165"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/cityofbrass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3065"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/cityofbrass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3066,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/cityofbrass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3065\/revisions\/3066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/cityofbrass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/cityofbrass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/cityofbrass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}