Beginning Saturday, May 27, an estimated 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide are celebrating the month of Ramadan. It was during this month that Prophet Mohammad first received revelations from God.
The holiday has been celebrated at the White House with American Muslims since 1996, when First Lady Hillary Clinton began the tradition. However, this year, as media reports indicate, it is likely that the White House will not host the traditional reception. Neither, it seems, will the State Department under Secretary Rex Tillerson, even though the holiday has been commemorated there, either during Ramadan or at its end, Eid al-Fitr, since 1999.
Despite the relatively recent nature of these formal celebrations, the fact is that Islam's presence in North America dates to the founding of the nation, and before, as my book, “Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an: Islam and the Founders,” demonstrates.
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