On Wednesday, July 24, 2013, Secretary of State John Kerry hosted an Iftar to in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the Department of State. TAA President Faruk Taban, Ph.D., attended the event, in addition to many Ambassadors and State Department representatives, a few members from U.S. Congress, and Muslim organization leaders nationwide.
The event began at 8:30pm and included a speech by the Secretary of State in which he highlighted State Department efforts to “reach out in innovative and exciting ways to engage with Muslim communities around the world.” The event also served to reinforce faith-based initiatives and programs that build “bridges of understanding and partnership,” and which “celebrate people whose work exemplifies a spirit of cooperation and commitment to change.”
Secretary of State Kerry also shared a touching anecdote about the significance of the Benjamin Franklin Room in which the Iftar was held. In the early days of the Republic, Benjamin Franklin, really the country’s first formal diplomat, was among the earliest advocates of religious freedom in the United States. In his autobiography he wrote, “Even if the Mufti of Constantinople were to send a missionary to preach Mohammedanism to us, he would find a pulpit at his service.”
At the end of the program, Dr. Taban congratulated Secretary Kerry and presented him with a traditional Turkish ceramic called çını (“chih-nih”). The çını was designed as a decorative plate embellished with Secretary Kerry’s name in calligraphy. Secretary Kerry thanked Dr. Taban for the gift.
The Turkic American Alliance congratulates Secretary Kerry on his new appointment and looks forward to working with him and the Department of State in the future.
My 1st #Iftar dinner as Secretary tonight @StateDept. To millions of Muslims in US/around world – Ramadan Kareem. -JK
— Department of State (@StateDept) July 24, 2013
