DEARBORN — Mayor Abdullah Hammoud hosted an Iftar dinner on Wednesday, March 12 at Byblos Banquet Hall, bringing together some 700 people of different backgrounds for an evening of unity to celebrate an important part of the holy month of Ramadan.

Community members, appointed and elected officials, esteemed individuals and members of the Dearborn Police Department were all in attendance. Various dignitaries, including Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, The Arab American News Publisher Osama Siblani, Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin, Wayne County Deputy Executive Assad Turfe, Wayne County Commissioner Sam Baydoun, Dearborn Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko, former State Rep. Abraham Aiyash and many more attended the dinner event.

Photos: Abbas Shehab

Hammoud spoke along with two sheikhs before the meal commenced. He shared that he wanted this event to unite people from all walks of life, honoring both Ramadan and Lent in his speech, as well as all religions, as they shared a meal and conversation. He encouraged people to talk to one another, to get to know those seated at their table, aiming to foster a sense of closeness among the attendees.

“Very rarely do I have the opportunity to attend an event where I have White, Black, Brown, Christian, Muslim, Jewish all in the same room, and I thought that that was a great disservice to the city of Dearborn, a city which is a very welcoming city,” he said. 

“Very infrequently, although we need to work on interfaith, very infrequently is interfaith happening, in my view, where both Sunni and Shia, Yemeni, Lebanese, Iraqi, Palestinian, Syrian all coming together to break Iftar together. I think it’s time that we start doing more of that.”

While fasting and prayer are core pieces of Ramadan, acts of kindness, community and giving back are also integral to the holy month. Lending a hand to someone in need, extending kindness to a stranger or breaking bread with someone from a different background all highlight the essence of this sacred time when Ramadan and Lent overlap.

“To all those fasting, Ramadan Mubarak,” Hammoud said. “To all those who are celebrating the holy month of lent, I hope it’s a holy month for you as well and may you find solace in your prayers.”