AMBASSADOR HOSTS SUCCESSFUL RAMADAN IFTAR

UNCLAS FREETOWN 000810 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KISL KPAO SL SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR HOSTS SUCCESSFUL RAMADAN IFTAR ¶1. On September 27, the Ambassador invited members of Sierra Leone's Muslim community to the residence to participate in a Maghreb Prayer and Ifter to break the Ramadan fast. The event was well attended by about 75 prominent Muslim Sheiks, clerics and Imams, as well as Minister of Labor Alpha Timbo and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Kamara. ¶2. The Ambassador praised Sierra Leone in his remarks for the country's well deserved reputation for religious tolerance and diversity, which serves as an example to other nations. Sheik Abubakar Conteh, Chief Imam of the Hamdallah Mosque in Freetown, and Vice President of the Sierra Leone's Muslim Missionaries Union thanked the Ambassador and the Embassy staff for their hospitality and spoke eloquently on the values of Islam as a peaceful religion, quoting from the Koran to highlight that violence is never acceptable and that Islam is not a religion of terrorism. Islam, he said, abhors social injustice and teaches that all are equal. Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamara also addressed the guests and emphasized that Islam is a religion of tolerance, preaches respect for other religions, and has no room for fanaticism. ¶3. A local newspaper reported on the success of the event and thanked the Ambassador and his wife, along with Embassy staff for their "profound spirit of hospitality which wittingly dispelled the view that the Americans are hostile people," adding, "the occasion was aimed at repairing the dented relationship currently existing between the Americans and Muslims around the world." HULL