Tillerson refuses to host Ramadan event at State Department

Tillerson refuses to host Ramadan event at State Department
US State Secretary Rex Tillerson has declined a request to host an event marking Ramadan month at the State Department, breaking a tradition in place for nearly 20 years.
4 min read
27 May, 2017
Tillerson declined a request to host an event marking Ramadan month [Getty]

US State Secretary Rex Tillerson has declined a request to host an event to mark Islam's holy month of Ramadan, apparently breaking with a bipartisan tradition in place for nearly 20 years.

According to an April memo seen by Reuters, the State Department's Office of Religion and Global Affairs recommended that Tillerson hold an Eid al-Fitr reception as part of Ramadan celebrations.

The event would serve to "highlight State Department initiatives and the importance of Muslim engagement", the memo said.

Several weeks later, that office and other offices at the State Department were alerted that Tillerson declined the request, the officials said.

However, a State Department spokesperson recently told Reuters that they were "still exploring possible options for observance of Eid al-Fitr".

Several prominent Muslim-American groups in the Washington area who are normally invited to the Ramadan event said this week that they had yet to receive an invitation from the State Department, which they said was unusual.

"If they're having one, we haven't been invited," said Rabiah Ahmed, spokesperson for the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Washington.

With a few exceptions since 1999, Republican and Democratic secretaries of state have nearly always hosted either an iftar dinner to break the day's fast during Ramadan, or a reception marking the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of the month.

The event is usually attended by members of Congress, Muslim civil society and community leaders, diplomats from Muslim countries and senior US officials.

If they're having one, we haven't been invited.
- Rabiah Ahmed

However, Tillerson's rejection of the request this year may send a message "that it is not as important to this administration to engage with Muslims", according to former US diplomat Farah Pandith, who served in the Bush and Obama administrations and helped plan Ramadan events at the White House and State Department.

President Donald Trump's administration has been accused of having an unfriendly attitude toward Islam, particularly following its efforts to ban citizens of several Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.

But the administration, which says it has no quarrel with Islam despite strongly opposing Islamist militants, has recently toned down its rhetoric and courts have halted Trump's temporary travel ban.

'A joyful Ramadan'

On Friday, Tillerson issued a statement to mark the start of Ramadan, which he called "a month of reverence, generosity, and self-reflection".

Trump has also wished Muslims "a joyful Ramadan", while urging them to use the holy month to reject violence by Islamist extremists.

"On behalf of the American people, I would like to wish all Muslims a joyful Ramadan," said Trump, who is winding up a first overseas trip as president that included a stop in Saudi Arabia.

"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," said the US leader.

"Such acts only steel our resolve to defeat the terrorists and their perverted ideology," he said in his message to the world's estimated 1.6 billion Muslims.

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.
- Donald Trump

Trump said that when he met dozens of leaders of Muslim countries in the Saudi capital Riyadh, he had vowed to stand with them to counter "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," he said.

"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."

The presidential statement concluded by saying, "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".
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