Anti-Semitic Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be the special guest of some liberal American religious leaders next week at a dinner in New York honoring the Muslim holiday Ramadan.
Organizers of the event Thursday at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York say the "Iftar" -- a dinner to break the Ramadan fast -- is an opportunity to discuss "the role of religions in tackling global challenges and building peaceful societies." Sponsoring groups -- which include the World Council of Churches, Mennonite Central Committee, and Quaker United Nations Office -- say the meal with the Iranian leader will allow religious and political leaders to "explore faith perspectives for dealing with global issues such as poverty, war, and prejudice while deepening mutual understanding." Mark Tooley with the Institute on Religion & Democracy says the Thursday gathering is an extension of ongoing meetings between the Iranian government and the Mennonite and Quaker groups, which have hosted Ahmadinejad in New York before. "It reflects the overall view of religious left groups," says Tooley, "which is that any kind of international disagreement is simply because of misunderstanding and can be overcome with good will and with dialogue." Tooley says some of the religious leaders hosting Ahmadinejad believe the U.S. is somehow morally inferior to Iran and in need of "atoning for its mistakes against the Iranian government."
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