CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – Distinguished visitors of Basra Province attended an Iftar dinner hosted by Maj. Gen. Rick Nash, commanding general, Multi-National Division – South, and key members of his staff at Contingency Operating Base Basra Sept. 3.
The distinguished guests at the Iftar meal included Lt. Gen. Mohammed, Basra Operations Center commander for the Iraqi Army, Maj. Gen. Hamid, Iraqi Air Force commander, Dr. Al-Khazraji, Director of the Sunni Endowment for Basra and Imam Moosawi, Shiite cleric of Moosawi Mosque in Basra.
The word “iftar” refers to the meal Muslims partake of after sundown to break a daily fast during the month of Ramadan, according to Lt. Col. Teresa Kintop, executive officer for the command group of MND-S and resident of Maple Lake, Minn.
The daily fast, or sawm, is one of the five pillars of Islam. The purpose of the fast during Ramadan is to bring oneself into submission to Allah and develop a sense of empathy for the plight of the poor, said Martina Strong, political advisor for MND-S and a native of Fort Worth, Texas.
Strong said the meal at COB Basra is just one example of U.S. officials reaching out to the Muslim community.
“(The meal) is a gesture of friendship to share this experience with them,” Strong said. “U.S. government officials in embassies around the world, as well as (provincial reconstruction teams) all over Iraq, are doing this.”
Strong also pointed to another important Iftar dinner held recently as an example of the U.S. government’s respect for the Muslim community.
“President Obama hosted an Iftar dinner at the White House (last week),” she said. “This goes back years. Both Presidents Bush and President Clinton did this as well.”
Obama, in a Ramadan message released recently, said, “Fasting is a concept shared by many faiths – including my own Christian faith – as a way to bring people closer to God, and to those among us who cannot take their next meal for granted. And the support that Muslims provide to others recalls our responsibility to advance opportunity and prosperity for people everywhere.”
The Iftar dinner here at COB Basra began with the attendees breaking their fast by snacking on dates and sipping water. They then adjourned to a private place to pray before eating in earnest.
The following feast featured a large menu of dishes, including a whole lamb stuffed with rice, pistachios and herbs; fish halved and barbequed with tomato, onion and herbs; pita bread covered with soup; tabule, which is crushed wheat with parsley, tomatoes, onion, spices, olive oil and lime; and hummus and baba gannouj, two eggplant dishes. The main courses were followed by a dessert of beklewah, a layer of bread stuffed with pistachios, coconut and raisins and covered in syrup.
Spc. Hesham, an interpreter with the public affairs office of MND-S, said the food was excellent and the event was very thoughtfully conducted.
“It was a good way to break the fast,” said Hesham, who resides in Los Angeles. “Everything was provided for the traditional breaking of the fast. This meal was good for relationships between Americans and Iraqis and helps to develop trust between them.”
