Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, falls for the first time in recent memory almost entirely during this year’s Virginia legislative session. And two Islamic legislators held what many called the first bi-cameral Iftar, or breaking of the Ramadan fast, this week.
The 30 days of Ramadan may have fallen during Virginia’s annual legislative session at some point in the body’s 400-year-old history, but not with this many Muslim elected officials in office.
“We opened up our ninth day of Ramadan, it’s split up into 30 days, sometimes 29, it depends on the moon. We’ll talk about that another time,” Roanoke Delegate Sam Rasoul joked to open the event.
An Ohio native of Palestinian descent who moved to Roanoke at age 3, Rasoul and Fairfax Senator Saddam Salim, a native of Noakhali, Bangladesh, gathered at a local office along with dozens of other elected officials and their staffers to recognize the holiday.
As with any good fast breaking, it featured some incredible food.
“Many of you know hummus, then there’s an Arabic salad called Taboola, it’s got a lot of parsley,” Rasoul said to the crowd.
But it also featured a chance for the lawmakers to share some of their culture.
“It’s a great time that brings us back, number 1 you have to center on yourself, try and get yourself right. Number two, it forces us to come together," Rasoul said. "My kids have grown to love Ramadan even though it's difficult during the day cause it forces us to have dinner together every night. And number 3 it is the time where you can kick habits.”
For Salim, it was a chance to bring folks together, especially as the session keeps him away from his family.
“This is not about us being any different, it is us coming together and really showcases that, with all the stuff going around the nation, around the world, we can come together and have a peaceful meal,” Salim said.
Lieutenant Governor Ghazalah Hashmi was also in attendance; she’ll host a Ramadan event as the Virginia’s first state-wide elected Muslim next week.
Former Delegate David Ramadan was also in attendance Wednesday. While he was once called the legislature's first Muslim official, he said he doesn't practice. Still, he said he had a great time.
“I am proud to have attended and celebrated Ramadan Iftar, a religion my family practices, with friends and legislators from Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Sikh faiths," Ramadan told Radio IQ after the event. "It was great to see so much of America represented at the dinner.”
Ramadan ends March 19th; Virginia’s legislature is scheduled to adjourn March 14th.
