Obama hosts Ramadan dinner at White House

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday helped usher in the Muslim celebration of Ramadan with a traditional iftar at the White House.

Guests -- including the two Muslim members of Congress, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind. -- were treated to a traditional holiday dinner of dates, kitchen garden green salad, spiced marcona almonds, organic chicken, potato-and-leek puree and late-summer peas.

The month of Ramadan is the holiest month for Muslims, who observe it by fasting during the day and eating and drinking only at night. It commemorates the revelation of the Koran to the Prophet Mohammed.

Addressing an audience that included Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Attorney General Eric Holder and Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., Obama welcome American Muslims who attended the dinner, which he said "continues a long tradition of hosting iftars here at the White House."

"For well over a billion Muslims, Ramadan is a time of intense devotion and reflection," the president said. "It's a time of service and support for those in need. And it is also a time for family and friends to come together in a celebration of their faith, their communities and the common humanity that all of us share."