Cincinnati archbishop asks school not to sponsor Ramadan dinner

CWN - August 26, 2011

Acceding to a request from Archbishop Dennis Schnurr, Mother of Mercy High School will not be hosting an iftar dinner with the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Iftar is the meal that takes place at the conclusion of the Ramadan fast.

“The fact that Mercy was co-hosting this Ramadan meal with the Council on American-Islamic Relations specifically had become too great a distraction from the positive intent of building relationships and understanding with our Muslim neighbors,” said Kirsten MacDougal, the school’s president. “While the archdiocese appreciates our good intentions, there is now some concern for the safety of those who would attend the meal due to the negative reaction this has garnered from some. As a result, the archbishop has asked that we cancel our hosting the meal.”

The meal will instead take place at a local parish facility, in a space rented by the city's Franciscan Network.

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  • Posted by: samuel.doucette1787 - Aug. 26, 2011 8:43 AM ET USA

    We should host a Ramadan dinner only when the local mosque down the street decides to host a Passover Seder or an Easter meal. What's that noise I hear -- crickets chirping? What's that cold wind I feel suddenly -- Hell freezing over?

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