Obama Hosts Iftar Dinner With Interesting Guest List

Last night at the White House, President Obama hosted an iftar dinner marking the Muslim observance of Ramadan. This follows a precedent begun by President Bill Clinton and continued by President George W. Bush (New York Times, Huffington Post). The guest list for last night's dinner was particularly interesting-- cabinet members, members of Congress, ambassadors from counties with significant Muslim populations (including Israel), members (including Jewish and Christian members) of the President’s Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and various Muslim notables. (Washington Post.) Included were Marine Lt. Cmdr. Abuhena Saifulislam (who has given the prayer at President Bush's Ramadan dinner), and ACLU lawyer Jameel Jaffer whose lawsuit has forced the White House to release secret documents on C.I.A. interrogations and detention. Among the guests highlighted in President Obama's remarks (full text) at the dinner was Nashala Hearn from Muskogee, Oklahoma, whose Justice Department-backed lawsuit vindicated her right to wear a hijab (headscarf) to school.