Donald Trump ended another White House tradition, which was initiated in 1996 under FLOTUS Hillary Clinton. The decades-long tradition of celebrating Ramadan with iftar dinner is over under new leader of the US.
No Ramadan iftar in the White House, decided President Donald Trump. Earlier, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reportedly said the Government would not host the traditional dinner, the first one was held in 1805, then the tradition revived thanks to Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea in 1996. Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama kept iftar dinner tradition alive but not Donald Trump.
Mr Tillerson issued a statement on Saturday, which reads,
‘This holiday marks the culmination of Ramadan, a month in which many experience meaning and inspiration in acts of fasting, prayer, and charity.’
Barack Obama immediately warned that such step might be dangerous,
“Muslim Americans have been part of our American family since its founding,”
he wrote on Twitter.
The White House, Ramadan, and Chelsea Clinton
In fact, the iftar dinner in the White House as a tradition was renewed in 1996 under the first lady Hillary Clinton. Her daughter Chelsea that time was studying Islamic history in school. In 1996, when FLOTUS hosted 150 people after learning more about the ritual from her daughter Chelsea.
That first iftar became a tradition over two decades, but Donald Trump ended it in 2017.
