DEARBORN — About 400 guests attended Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly’s annual iftar dinner on Tuesday, Aug. 24 at the Byblos Banquet Hall in the city. 

“I host this every year to bring together the Muslim community and the non-Muslim community for an iftar dinner, so that everyone has the same experience and appreciation of what the true sense of Ramadan is,” O’Reilly said.

Public officials including U.S. Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI), Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, Dearborn District 19th Court Chief Judge Mark Somers, Dearborn City Council members, Dearborn Public Schools officials and Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad attended the dinner.

“We are extremely blessed to be in a city like Dearborn where we celebrate Ramadan on nights like this with our friends from other religious denominations and relate with one another and enjoy our diversity,” said Dearborn attorney and Lebanese American Heritage Club President Sam A. Salamey. “The city of Dearborn is a special and unique place indeed, it’s a magnificent city that over the last few years has been celebrating Ramadan with our mayor and the city’s administration. Our mayor is a person who has great and many compelling characteristics. Most of which is his love for our city and dedication to his constituents.”

Wayne County lead prosecuting attorney and Arab American Political Action Committee co-founder Abed Hammoud also spoke at the dinner about religious interfaith relations.

“We’re here to celebrate and understand each other’s religions and most importantly to enjoy it amongst friends and family because everyone here considers everyone friends or family,” he said.

“My friends ask me to describe Ramadan and I tell them it’s like having Thanksgiving every night, for a whole month you are gathered around family and friends.” 

O’Reilly said he wishes he could share the understanding of Islam that exists in Dearborn with the rest of the country as the debates continue about whether a mosque and community center should be built near Ground Zero. 

“Except for traffic on Friday there is no reason that anyone should be opposed to a mosque. The traffic in New York is already crazy, they have no argument. Terrorism has existed with humankind for a long time and never have we associated the terrorists with the religion that the terrorists claim to be part of,” O’Reilly said.