On the recordJune 12, 2018
As the month of Ramadan comes to a close this week, I rise to wish the Muslim residents of Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District Ramadan Mubarak. Over the last several years, I have appreciated the opportunity to break fast at an iftar with a number of these residents, including a recent iftar at the Muslim Association of Greater Pittsburgh. Ramadan is a holy month for reflection and celebration for those in the Muslim faith. Ramadan also offers an opportunity for all Americans to celebrate the tapestry of the people that makes up our Nation and our Bill of Rights that recognizes as the first of our freedoms the free exercise of religion. Mindful of the violence that affects those practicing their faith in other lands here, I think particularly of the more than 100 Afghan soldiers the Taliban killed last year at a mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, or the 14 Afghan Muslims killed when a mosque was bombed in Khost recently. Let us reassert that no one should ever be killed for their faith. May this month of Ramadan be the beginning of a new effort to achieve a lasting peace in troubled lands. ____________________
