First

Iftar

Dinner

July 25 2012

On July 25, 2012, the first Iftar dinner was held in the Jean Pigott Hall at the Ottawa City Hall.  Mayor Jim Watson was the Guest of Honour. The APMC inaugurated this event at City Hall along the same lines as the Iftar dinners hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the State Department for  American Muslims to commemorate the Holy Month of Ramadan.  

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Mr. Charles Coffey, O.C., was the emcee for the evening. The dinner was well attended by several members of the Diplomatic Corps, elected representatives from all levels of government, representatives from the Regional Police services, and members from the community. 

President Mobeen Khaja welcomed the guests and thanked the Mayor and RBC and the Ambassador of Azerbaijan for their support.  The Mayor said that he was pleased to have this event at the Ottawa City Hall and hoped that this would continue in the future.  He acknowledged the work the Association is doing in building bridges of understanding.  A Sandulak's Spirit bear sculpture was presented to the Mayor at this inaugural event.

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Some APMC members traveled from Toronto to be at this event. Hon. Bob Chiarelli brought a message from Premier Dalton McGuinty, Mr. Jeff Boyd brought greetings from the Royal Bank of Canada and His Excellency Farid Shafiyev spoke about Ramadan and said that Canada has a long history of religious tolerance and diversity that can serve as a model for the rest of the world. My country, Azerbaijan, also shares this tradition of diversity and respect for difference.  

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