Last night, Muslim members of Congress in the United States hosted a historic iftar, just days after President Donald Trump held one ... without any Muslim-American organizations.
André Carson, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib put together an iftar in the Capitol Visitor Center to honor the Muslim-American community. It is considered to be Omar and Tlaib's first time as honorary hosts at a Congressional iftar.
The feast was done in collaboration with Muslim Advocates, a national civil rights organization, and saw the attendance of Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland and Senator and Democrat of Illinois Richard J. Durbin, among others.
In a tweet, the organization quoted Omar as saying:
"This is truly an historic night. It is wonderful to be here as one of the first three Muslims to serve together in one of the most powerful bodies in the world."
The event aimed to give back to the Muslim-American community, who have long been targets of hate-driven crimes and proposed laws.
"This event lifts an entire community that has felt unseen for far too long. We have been unjustly targeted to ignite fear and promote an agenda of hate. Tonight, we recommit to being rooted in justice, inclusivity, and a sense of belonging," Tlaib said in a statement, according to HuffPost.
According to the New York Times, Carson said he "did not see any Republicans in attendance on Monday."
As for Trump, he hosted an iftar at the White House last week but reportedly no Muslim-Americans were invited.
HuffPost reported that the "White House declined to share the guest list for this year's event." But, the media organization added that the spokespersons for both Carson and Omar revealed that the two had not been invited.
Every year, since 1996, the White House - the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States - has hosted a reception to celebrate the month of Ramadan. That was the case until 2017, when Trump canceled the annual iftar, but then brought it back in 2018 and 2019.
Though Muslim-American organizations have not received invites to both of Trump's feasts, various Muslim foreign dignitaries and diplomats (whom Trump refers to as his "friends") have.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley shared a few words on Twitter as well
"We are a nation founded on religious liberty"
The "congressional iftar" in two photos
In 2018, people in the U.S. elected their first Muslim women to Congress
A bit over three years ago, Trump wanted to ban immigrants from several Muslim majority countries. But, things haven't shaped up the way he had hoped for (fortunately enough).
In November 2018, for the first time ever, two Muslim women were elected to Congress, Palestinian-American Tlaib and Somali-American Omar. The latter was considered to be the first hijabi to become a member of Congress, the first Somali-American U.S. legislator, and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota in Congress, according to BuzzFeed News.
The wins definitely changed the game in U.S. politics.
As for Muslim representation in the legislative body, two Muslim congressmen, Keith Ellison and Andre Carson, had been elected to Congress previously. Ellison is the first Muslim to ever take the role. However, Omar and Tlaib became the first Muslim women to serve last year.
And now, in 2019, Carson, Omar, and Tlaib have joined forces to embrace their Muslim faith to the fullest.