Congresswoman Ilhan Omar hosted her fifth annual iftar dinner on Saturday at the Brian Coyle Community Center. Iftar is the meal that ends the daily sunrise-to-sunset fast for Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan.
Over 200 guests gathered for the iftar, organized by the Omar campaign staff, with the food line extending from one end of the gym to the other, prompting Rep. Omar to join in serving the food. Mayors Jacob Frey of Minneapolis, April Graves of Brooklyn Center and Terry Wiggin of Hilltop, were among those in attendance. They were joined by the area’s councilman, Jamal Osman, and his colleagues – councilwomen Robin Wonsley of Ward 2 and Aurin Chowdhury of Ward 12. Also in attendance was state Rep. Mohamed Noor who represents the area.
Farah Habad, a longtime Omar campaign volunteer and, by day, a senior communications specialist at Hennepin County, served as emcee for the celebration
This year’s iftar took place eight weeks after Trump’s return to the White House, a period that has wreaked havoc with mass federal layoffs, immigration crackdowns and controversial policies that are upending the country.
“These are truly incredible challenging times and not just for the Muslim community, or our state but those in Gaza, Sudan, Afghanistan and even Haiti” said Omar in brief remarks to guests. “Whether it is violence or human created suffering, I just know our capacity to advocate for them is being diminished in this country as we move towards authoritarianism with a tyrant in the White House that is punishing free speech.”
During last year’s presidential campaign Rep. Omar was one of the Democrats warning of the dire consequences of a second Trump term, telling Mshale it would be more devastating to immigrants and refugees.
The Pew Research Center estimates that there were about 3.45 million Muslims living in the U.S. as of 2017, making up about 1.1% of the U.S. population. The Pew study also projected the population of Muslims to more than double by 2050.
Estimating the population of Muslims in the United States is not easy, according to the Pew Research Center, as the U.S. Census Bureau does not ask questions about religion.
World Population Review estimates the number of Muslims in Minnesota to be 2% of the state’s population or 116,000. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, the largest group of Muslims in the Twin Cities metro area is made up of immigrants from Somalia and that “many estimates use the number of Somalis in the area as a basis for calculating the larger Muslim population.” The population of Somalis in the state is estimated to be around 82,400, according to the research nonprofit, Minnesota Compass.
Rep. Omar urged the community to look out for each other in order to survive the second Trump presidency because “it is taking away all the essential programs many of our communities need.”
“We are going to need each other more than ever to just get through these four years, as community is going to be essential,” Omar said. “We have to hold on to each other and remember that we are going to get to the promised land together, so we have to be kind to each other in this incredible country we all love.”
At 7:21 p.m. the room went quiet as Imam Abdirahman Sharif of Dar Al-Hijra Mosque took to the podium to pray, which signaled the end of the day’s fasting. After his prayers, guests broke their fast with the dates that had been placed at each table before lining up for a sumptuous buffet of goat meat, rice, salad and mango juice.
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About Tom Gitaa Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief
Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the boards of New Vision Foundation and the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.
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