https://arab.news/j4hqq
Purim, the holiday commemorating the salvation of the Jewish people from Persian oppression more than 2,000 years ago, concluded last Tuesday evening, just as I arrived at an interfaith iftar hosted by the Bahrain Embassy in Washington. The story of Jews confronting persecution in ancient Persia carries striking resonance to the modern Iranian regime fueling instability across the Middle East.
Ramadan is observed as a month of fasting, prayer and introspection. Every evening during Ramadan, families and communities gather for iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast at sunset.
Last Tuesday, the iftar, which was hosted by Bahraini Ambassador to the US Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al-Khalifa, was attended by 300 guests from all walks of life. Sitting at the head table were ambassadors from across the Muslim world, including Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar, Princess Reema bint Bandar of Saudi Arabia, Talal bin Sulaiman Al-Rahbi of Oman, Youssef Amrani of Morocco, Sedat Onal of Turkiye and Khazar Ibrahim of Azerbaijan, along with myself, a rabbi.
The symbolism of the iftar was salient. It felt as though history and the present converged in a single evening
