Maryland Governor Hon. Martin O'Malley hosted a reception at his official residence "Governor's Mansion" to celebrate the month of Ramadan on Monday, September 2008. The presences of the Lt. Governor Hon. Anthony Brown and First Lady Hon. Katie O'Malley have enlightened the reception to the State's highest level. Under the leaderships of Gov. Martin O'Malley and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Maryland is the only state in the USA which celebrated Ramadan month officially. Muslims of the state Maryland are proud of it.
Law maker of the Maryland's General Assembly Del. Hon. Saqib Ali, Muslim Commissioners of the Governor's several Commissions, especially, Commission on Middle Eastern American Affairs and Commission on Asian American Affairs, leaders of the several state and county Muslim Councils and community organizations were present at the reception. As a Commissioner of the Governor's Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and Muslim by faiths I and my wife were invited and we were honored to attend the reception.
The reception started with a "Dua" led by an Imam with Hon. Governor and Lt. Governor by his side. A Maghrib prayer was held at the reception hall of the Governor's mansion followed by Dua and Iftar. Having a Maghrib prayer at the Governor's mansion was an historical event for the Muslims of the State of Maryland.
Governor Hon. Martin O'Malley and Lt. Governor Hon. Anthony Brown gave short speeches after a feast highlighting the importance of Islam and its' culture to the enrichment of the cultural diversities and religions of the state of Maryland. Both top executives of the State praised Muslim citizens for their contributions to the development of the State of Maryland in all areas. Hon. Saqib Ali, the only Muslim legislator thanked Governor for honoring the Muslims and for hosting a reception at his residence to celebrate Month of Ramadan for second times during his term.
Mr. Anwar Hossain, Chairman, Governor's Commission on Middle Eastern American Affairs spoke on behalf of the Muslims of Maryland and thanked Governor and the First Lady to host the reception and to allow guests to say their prayers at their official reception hall. Later he presented a book on the life of Hazrat Muhammad (SM) to the governor and Carpets with art of Muslim cultures to the First Lady and to the Lt. Governor. Montgomery County Muslim Council president Mrs. Irma Hafiz also gave gifts to the Governor and to the First Lady.
Please go to the following linkage to see photos of the celebration at the Maryland Governor's Mansion. Credit goes to the Governor's Press Office for taking these pictures.
[* Moderator's Note - CHOTTALA is a non-profit, non-religious, non-political and non-discriminatory organization.
* Disclaimer: Any posting to the CHOTTALA are the opinion of the author. Authors of the messages to the CHOTTALA are responsible for the accuracy of their information and the conformance of their material with applicable copyright and other laws. Many people will read your post, and it will be archived for a very long time. The act of posting to the CHOTTALA indicates the subscriber's agreement to accept the adjudications of the moderator]
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
