Thank You for a Wonderful "Taste of Ramadan" Iftar

On behalf of the staff of CAIR-Chicago, I’d like to thank you for attending our 3rd annual "Taste of Ramadan" iftar at our downtown office, and contributing to a night of camaraderie and great cheer. We were delighted to host 319 guests and relish in nearly 50 dishes and desserts from all over the world. [MUST SEE PICTURES HERE]

This year’s event was extra special as it also featured a sneak peak of our office's recently completed expansion, which includes the CAIR-Chicago Gallery – an intellectual space that will provide the Muslim community with a forum for educational, arts and cultural events in downtown Chicago. The Gallery is decorated with artwork recently collected during CAIR-Chicago's photography competition. Winners of the photo contest were honored for their talent and contributions as they signed their artwork to applause from the crowd. The Gallery is set for an official opening on September 15th, 2011.

Amazingly, while this iftar was rich in quantity and quality, it cost the organization close to nothing thanks largely to the generosity, creativity, and hard work of our staff, their families, and our friends who contributed the dishes. Many thanks to them and to our friends at Tahini Mediterranean Cafe for providing several delicious dishes, free of charge. The diversity was great; there were Catholics, Lutherans, Copts, Jews and friends from other faiths and nationalities. I must have counted at least 20 people from England alone – and some of them did not even know each other!

Whether you’re friends of old or new, CAIR-Chicago is always here to be of service and in partnership with you to champion civil rights and social justice through advocacy and grassroots activism. Please support our work this season.

Lastly, you can catch Ahmed Rehab’s reflections on why Ramadan is good for the mind in the Chicago Tribune - READ HERE.

Check out the "Taste of Ramadan" photos in our Flickr Photo Album:

To learn more about CAIR-Chicago, visit www.cairchicago.org

Warm regards,

Gerald Hankerson, Outreach Coordinator

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