Remarks
Remarks of Consul General Justin Siberell at Public Affairs Section Iftar (September 8, 2009)
U.S. Consulate General Iftar
Shangri La Hotel
Dubai, UAE
8 September 2009
مساء الخير.
يسعدني أنا و زوجتي ارني أن نكون معكم هذا المساء .
نحن سعداء أن نصل الى دبي في شهر رمضان المليء بالمحبة و السلام .
اسمحوا لي في هذه المناسبة أن أتمنى لكم رمضان كريم و كل عام و أنتم بخير.
Good evening. Thank you for enduring my Arabic. It is a great pleasure for my wife Arnie and me to join together with you in this Iftar.
We arrived to Dubai just a few weeks ago. But it has been something of a homecoming. I served at the U.S. Consulate here in the mid-1990s and Arnie grew up in Dubai. We met here – well, at Girard’s Coffee Shop at Magrudy Mall to be precise – and so feel a great affinity for Dubai.
And we have returned many times over the years to watch the city grow, including in December 2007 when our youngest son was born here. So for us, the UAE, and Dubai specifically, is a very special place, and we are pleased to be here again.
To arrive during Ramadan is especially nice. Ramadan is a time of sharing, a time to gather with family and friends. A time of reflection and kindess. Muslims around the world spend the holy month of Ramadan reflecting on faith, man’s place in the world, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings.
Seven million Muslim Americans join in this celebration of Ramadan, observing this time of reflection and charity, praying at mosques and sharing Iftar celebrations throughout the 50 United States. And America’s Muslims are playing an important role this month in helping to introduce Islam to their non-Muslim neighbors and friends across America.
President Obama said in his remarks in Cairo earlier this year that we wished to reach out an open hand and look for ways to build bridges of respect and understanding between Americans and Muslims. I can think of no better way to do that than to share the spirit of this holy month, reflecting on the principles that we hold in common, whatever our faith may be.
And I can think of no better place: The United Arab Emirates honors Ramadan and its own heritage through its openness, diversity, and tolerance, and by setting an example to countries around the world seeking a balance between tradition and modernity.
I look forward to working with all of you over these next few years – government officials, educators, students, journalists, and cultural figures – to promote a better understanding of our unifying principles, and to work together to achieve them.
Thank you again for joining us, Ramadan Kareem. Kula am wa intum Bikhayr.