Ramadan Iftars at the White House: Taking A Look At A Tradition Introduced by Thomas Jefferson Over Two Hundred Years Ago

The official annual iftar at the White House is yet another casualty of the coronavirus for two successive Ramadans. But for the past twenty-five years, the annual event was seen as a reflection of presidential respect for American Muslim religious traditions.

When Hillary Clinton hosted the first official iftar in the White House in 1996, she was praised for her attempts to give equal status to American Muslims. However, in reality, this wasn’t actually the first iftar dinner in the White House. Although not intended as an official iftar, Thomas Jefferson actually hosted one at the White House in 1805 [1].

While Jefferson didn’t have a group of Muslim constituents to appeal to, he did have international Muslim leaders from the Barbary States to negotiate with. The remarkable event was marked by hospitable and accommodating overtures, which was surprising given the guests were also America’s first adversaries following independence from Britain.

During that time, the Barbary nations of Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Libya had been a threat to the newly established U.S. government because they would interfere with trade by attacking American ships, taking their goods and holding their merchants as captives.

Jefferson was Minister to France at the time and one of his first assignments was to negotiate with the Sultans of the Barbary States. In his negotiations, Jefferson realized that the Barbary Sultans were using religious differences with the U.S. to justify their attacks. He decided to send them a copy of the Constitution translated in Arabic to impress that America was not founded on Christianity. After four years of war, America was eventually able to establish trade in the area without threat of attacks.

In November 1805, an envoy of representatives of the Sultanate of Tunisia arrived in the United states for a six-month stay. The envoy was sent to negotiate with the U.S. for retribution of captured Tunisian ships in exchange for avoiding war. The leader of the envoy was Sidi Soliman Mellimelli [1]. Mellimelli impressed the Washington social crowd with his richly embroidered robes and turban of fine white muslin. Mellimelli’s generous use of scented rose oil was noted by many who met him. He was invited to several dinners and balls despite the fact that many newspaper commentators portrayed him as a sex-crazed barbarian who lacked any kind of discipline.

A month later, Jefferson’s secretary visited Mellimelli to invite him to the White House. When the secretary arrived, he found him rising from the floor just as he was finishing his prayers. While he graciously accepted the invitation, he explained that he could not eat until sunset. As a result, Jefferson accommodated his guest by moving the dinner from 3:30 pm to precisely sunset [1]. John Quincy Adams, who attended the dinner, confirmed the time was moved due to “the midst of Ramadan, during which the Turks fast when the sun is above the horizon.”

On Dec. 9 Jefferson hosted the envoy at the White House. Mellimelli brought gifts with him, some of which were given with the expectation that they would pay for the expenses of his visit. One noted gift was an ivory needle case given to Martha Jefferson.

At the dinner, where Mellimelli spoke with Jefferson through an interpreter, Jefferson was hospitable but refused to give in to demands for retribution. He did, however, agree to send an exchange of gifts to Tunis, equal to those given to Jefferson by Mellimelli. When Mellimelli returned home, he sent Jefferson a friendly letter, proving that the hospitality demonstrated during the trip may have helped avoid further attacks by the Tunisians.

Over two hundred years later — after the 9/11 attacks — iftar dinners were seen as being essential in helping then-President Bush maintain some support from the American Muslim community. President Barack Obama took the iftar dinners a step further, and actually highlighted the statesmanship of Jefferson as an example of how the Founding Fathers’ approach to Islam should be seen as an American tradition. He stated at one iftar dinner:

“Ramadan is a reminder that Islam has always been part of America. The first Muslim ambassador to the United States from Tunisia was hosted by President Jefferson who arranged a sunset dinner for his guest because it was Ramadan, making it the first known iftar in the White House more than 200 years ago.”

In 2018, President Trump was sharply criticized for discontinuing the tradition, but even he returned to the tradition the following year. However, Trump’s failure to invite anyone from the local American Muslim community did not go over well in the press.

Since his election, President Biden has promised that iftars will return to the White House under the auspices of his administration — re-starting a centuries-old American tradition that celebrates the Constitution’s commitment to religious tolerance as a foundation for diplomacy and peace. 

Works Cited:

[1] Dame, F. W. (2013). The Muslim Discovery of America. Books on Demand.

Mahnaz Pater-Rov is an educator who advocates for Muslim youth by teaching the history of Muslims in America through public speaking, media contributions, and textbook publications. She is the author of "Islamic American Heritage: Prominent Slaves and Our Founding Fathers." Her book is available on Amazon in print or digital formats.