Obama's Ramadan Dinner Speech Pays Tribute to Muslim Americans

[onehandle]

Source: Huffington Post

President Obama honored the sacrifices that Muslim Americans have made for the country on Wednesday night at the White House's annual Ramadan dinner. With only a month to go before the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Obama emphasized the role that Muslim Americans played in the wake of the attacks, and their contributions to the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Muslim Americans were first responders ... the EMTs … the nurse who tended to so many victims, the naval officer at the Pentagon who rushed into the flames and pulled the injured to safety," the president told approximately 100 guests before the meal.

Obama paid tribute to the "brave service of our men and women in uniform, including thousands of Muslim Americans … some have made the ultimate sacrifice."

Obama recalled Army Specialist Kareem Khan, who was killed in Iraq, and thanked Khan's mother for attending the dinner. "We must be the America they lived for, and the America they died for," he said.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/10/obama-pays-tribute-to-mus_n_924011.html

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Meanwhile, right-wing Whole Foods goes the opposite direction:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4954863

[Tx4obama]

1. Here's a link to a DU OP with links to transcript, VIDEO, etc.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x742825

[nyy1998]

2. That proves it!!!! He's a Kenyan Muslim!!!!!

:sarcasm:

[humblebum]

3. How many atheists will complain about a politician mixing religion and politics

on government property?

[No Elephants]

5. Actually, I have some issue with that and I am not an atheist or an agnostic.,

Sorry to disturb your paradigm, but many people of faith, even fairly fundamentalist ones, believe in total separation of church and state with all minds and hearts.

[humblebum]

6. You haven't disturbed my paradigm one bit, but merely expanded it.

I know that many do believe in total separation. In fact, it would probably take a constitutional amendment to achieve that as it has never existed in the US. What we have is a limited separation, and I believe that right needs to be defended against those who would attempt to violate it. When RW'ers attempt to "steal the show," they have violated the separation, because they must allow other religions to exist, practice, and enjoy those same rights. That even includes atheists, who have been declared a "religion" by the courts, concerning the Free Exercise Clause.

[BiggJawn]

8. I don't like it.

I don't like those "Prayer Breakfasts" they put on, either.
Go have them at a church if they want to have them.

[humblebum]

9. It is also your right not to like it. nt

[No Elephants]

4. It's good that we've now covered all three Abrahamic religions. Better if we covered no religions

at all though.

We ignore more religions than we honor and it is not the job of the WH to honor religions individually anyway.

[harun]

7. Happy to see this.

[KamaAina]

10. I can hardly wait for President Bachmann's Ramadan lunch speech.

:dunce:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

11. She'd get confused and hold it at the Ramada.

[BackToThe60s]

12. See??? I TOLD YA HE WUZ ONE O' DEM!!!!!

Probly got down on his knees an' prayed to Ar-lah, too. :rofl:

[Ratty]

13. I guess George W. Bush started the tradition

I just read this here: http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/god-and-country/2009/09/01/the-mind-behind-obamas-ramadan-dinner-george-w-bush

Sure, but it wasn't Obama's idea. Turns out that the Ramadan dinner was an innovation of George W. Bush, who hosted one every year he was in office and who also used the event to recognize the contributions of American Muslims.

Ammo for when the inevitable RW chorus of "See! I told you he was a Muslim" chants begin