Obama hosts Iftar dinner, defends religious freedom

US President Obama marked the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at the White House on Friday evening, hosting his fourth annual Iftar dinner.
In keeping with religious practice, the fast-breaking dinner for guests that included distinguished Muslim Americans, religious leaders, lawmakers, and members of the Diplomatic Corps began after sundown, at 8:40 PM in the State Dining Room.
Clad in a dark suit as he stood at a podium beneath the famous portrait of Lincoln, the president spoke of the importance of religious freedom, and also gave a pointed defense of Huma Abedin, a Muslim American who is deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Abedin was seated at a table on the president’s left as he spoke.
Abedin, 36, has recently been the subject of headline-making but unproven attacks from a small group of House Republicans, who accused her of having ties to terror groups that have infiltrated the US government. The president did not mention Abedin’s accusers by name, but his point was clear as he hailed her as “a good friend” and “an American patriot.”
Abedin, the president said, has “worked tirelessly in the White House, in the U.S. Senate and most exhaustingly at the State Department, where she has been nothing less than extraordinary in representing our country and the democratic values that we hold dear. Senator Clinton has relied on her expertise and so have I.”
“The American people owe her a debt of gratitude because Huma is an American patriot and an example of what we need in this country–more public servants with her sense of decency, her grace and her generosity of spirit,” the President said. “So on behalf of all Americans, we thank you so much.”
The president’s remarks were greeted by applause, and he hugged Abedin when he was done speaking.
Born in the US to an Indian father and a Pakistani mother, Abedin grew up in Saudi Arabia and has worked for Secretary Clinton since her days as First Lady; former President Bill Clinton presided at her wedding to former US Rep. Anthony Weiner.
President Clinton began the tradition of hosting annual Iftar Dinners at the White House, and the place settings at the twelve candle-lit tables were an homage to that, featuring the Clinton State Service, cream with a gold border. The menu was an embroidery on traditional Muslim fast-breaking fare, spotlighting bounty from First Lady Michelle Obama’s Kitchen Garden, though Mrs. Obama was not present at the dinner.