PTI, Washington :
Ramadan is a time when people join forces in pursuit of hope, tolerance and peace, US President Donald Trump said on Monday.
Donald Trump hosted an Iftar dinner for Muslim members from his administration and top diplomats from various countries at the White House on Monday night. Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims all across the world, he said.
During this month of worship, Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown and focus on prayer and spiritual life to deepen their devotion to god. “Ramadan is a time of charity, of giving, and service to our fellow citizens. Ramadan is a very special time. It’s a time to draw closer as families, neighbours and communities,” Donald Trump said.
“And Ramadan is a time when people join forces in pursuit of hope, tolerance and peace. It is in this spirit that we come together tonight for Iftar, the traditional Ramadan meal that breaks the daily fast,” he said in his brief address in the State Dinning Room of the White House.”This evening, our thoughts are also with the religious believers who have endured many trials and hardships in recent weeks. It’s been a very rough period of time. Our hearts are filled with grief for the Muslims who were killed in their mosques in New Zealand, as well as the Christians, Jews and other children of god who were slain in Sri Lanka, California and Pittsburgh,” he said.
Donald Trump resolved to defeat the evils of terrorism and religious persecution so that all people can worship without fear, pray without danger and live by the faith that flows from their heart.
“We thank god that America is a place founded on the belief that citizens of all faiths can live together in safety and live together in freedom,” he said. Every year, the US president hosts an Iftar party for invited guests in the holy month of Ramadan.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration asked Congress on Monday to increase NASA spending next year by an extra $1.6 billion to accommodate the accelerated goal of returning Americans to the surface of the moon by 2024. The increased funding request, announced by President Donald Trump on Twitter, comes nearly two months after Vice President Mike Pence declared the objective of shortening by four years NASA’s timeline for putting astronauts back on the moon for the first time since 1972.
The proposed increase would bring NASA’s total spending level for the 2020 fiscal year to $22.6 billion. The bulk of the increase is earmarked for research and development for a human lunar landing system, according to a summary provided by NASA.”Under my Administration, we are restoring @NASA to greatness and we are going back to the Moon, then Mars,” Trump tweeted late on Monday.
“I am updating my budget to include an additional $1.6 billion so that we can return to Space in a BIG WAY!”
