The Columbus City Council has canceled an annual interfaith Ramadan dinner scheduled for Thursday after a large Muslim advocacy organization withdrew support.
The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced on Tuesday that it would not attend this year’s annual “iftar” dinner because the city council has not passed a cease-fire resolution for the ongoing war in Gaza. Hours later, the city sent invitees an email saying the program was canceled.
Iftar is the breaking of the fast that happens every evening at dusk during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began last week. For several recent years, the Council has hosted an interfaith iftar for faith leaders and community members from around the city.
CAIR-Ohio staff normally attend the event, but this year they decided against it, Executive Director Amina Barhumi said.
“These performative festivities of diversity, while our community is in this month of Ramadan with a heavy heart — it’s out of place,” she said.
José Rodríguez, a spokesperson for City Council, said in a statement that the body “holds multiple events annually to bring together diverse faith groups and organizations to foster community cohesion, including our annual Iftar dinner.
“However, given the current climate and out of respect for Muslim leaders, we have decided to cancel this year’s event to avoid exacerbating tensions within the community and distract from the holy season of Ramadan,” he said.
Since the Oct. 7 attacks, in which Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis and took hostage over 200, more than 31,700 Palestinians have been killed and more than 73,000 have been injured, according to the U.N., citing the Gazan health ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
The World Food Program has warned that famine is imminent as Israel heavily restricts aid’s flow into the territory.
Israel is one of the largest recipients of U.S. military aid, receiving about $4.8 billion in 2022 and $3.6 billion in 2023, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Pro-ceasefire Columbus residents have protested recent City Council meetings to call for a ceasefire resolution, but the Council has not voted on the issue.
Barhumi said that even though the City Council does not control U.S. foreign policy, a local cease-fire resolution would be meaningful.
“Our United States government is actively funding a genocide with billions of dollars … and that impacts all of us because at the local level, so much of this unconditional funding could be used towards local efforts to combat poverty, to address education, to address climate change,” she said.
Though South Africa has accused Israel of genocide in a case before the International Court of Justice, the court has not made any final ruling.
Barhumi also said that a cease-fire resolution by the city could help combat Islamophobia locally.
“There’s a direct correlation between the uptick in Islamophobia … and our elected officials’ language,” she said.
At a March 4 council meeting, Council President Shannon Hardin said he wanted to see the Israeli government end its bombing campaign and for Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
“But right now I am uncomfortable coming forward with a ceremonial (cease-fire) resolution if it means even one person in our community feels less safe,” he said.
Although the nine-member council has not voted on any cease-fire resolution, four members have personally called for a cease-fire, including Shayla Favor, Lourdes Barroso de Padilla, Melissa Green and Christopher Wyche.
Several other city councils across Ohio have passed Gaza cease-fire resolutions recently.
The U.S. has begun air dropping aid into Gaza, but U.S. military personnel have described this as “a drop in the bucket” of need, according to The Associated Press. The U.S. is also working to construct a floating pier to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, which could take weeks or months.
The U.S. has blocked several ceasefire resolutions at the U.N. Security Council, including one resolution last month.
While they have stopped short of calling for a permanent cease-fire, both Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden have recently called for a six-week pause in fighting and more hostage releases.
Peter Gill covers immigration, New American communities and religion for the Dispatch in partnership with Report for America. You can support work like his with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America at: bit.ly/3fNsGaZ.
pgill@dispatch.com
