Iftar Dinner: A Potluck to Mend the Melting Pot

DES MOINES, Iowa, May 22, 2018– Fez Zafar, a high school student from Des Moines, is inviting individuals from across the country to join him in having an Iftar Dinner on June 7, 2018. In light of current tensions across the United States, Zafar gathered a dozen of his peers to create a movement aimed at bonding cultures over a meal, giving people an opportunity to sit down with individuals of different perspectives.

The Iftar Dinner is a tradition that began in 1996 by President Clinton and recently ended under the current administration. Although the traditional White House Iftar Dinner focused specifically on respecting American Muslim culture during Ramadan, these students have broadened the movement to celebrate “all the world’s religions through a non-partisan meal shared by people of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds.”

“It is time to come together, regardless of our ethnic, religious and cultural differences and be united as one. The purpose of the dinner is to embark on a movement of national and global tolerance and understanding,” said Founder Fez Zafar. “Imagine a dinner table, with each seat hosting a representative of a different religion or ethnic group – a meal for harmony and humanity with peaceful discussion and discourse among diverse people.”

Zafar is hosting his own dinner in Des Moines with religious leaders, policymakers, and other individuals. The team of teenagers has been spreading the word and encouraging others to host their own Iftar Dinners across the country. The national American Iftar Dinner will be held on Thursday, June 7, 2018. Although hosts ultimately control what the dinner will consist of, it is recommended to consider the dinner as a potluck for guests to bring a variety of food, encouraging food that represents each culture.

Currently, organizations and students within these universities are participating in the American Iftar Dinner Movement:
● California State University Monterey Bay
● Carleton College
● Central College
● Columbia University
● Cornell College
● Drake University
● Des Moines University
● Grinnell College
● Iowa State University
● Louisiana State University
● Missouri State University
● Oregon State University
● Rush University
● San Jose State University
● Southern Methodist University
● St. Louis University
● Stanford University
● Truman State University
● University of Kansas
● University of Iowa
● University of Missouri- Kansas City
● University of New Orleans
● University of Richmond