I think that this was not gonna look good for the Trump supporters so that is why it was nixed, most of those supporters seem to want to think that there should be no Americans that are Muslim, or do think that they did not die for their country.
In what way does your link support your assertion?
I know that saying it’s been happening for 20 years makes it sound like a long time but in terms of presidents we’re talking about 3 administrations which hardly seems like a long tradition. We’ve had a much longer tradition of not doing it than of doing it.
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So? Every tradition starts somewhere.
That’s not a reason to stop it.
Segregation by law was a tradition for far longer than it has been not. Shall we go back?
That was not directed at you, but to the ones that forget that Muslims do indeed die for America and that there are others who currently are risking their lives for it. Those military men are IMHO not amused by what the administration is doing.
Traditions…
It is rather disgusting that for reasons of sucking-up, only the Abrahamic religions are so honoured. There are hundreds of smaller religions that should be given equal chances. Why not forget about the tedious muslims for a long while, and the christians, and in turn each year adopt a tiny religion ?
Let’s hear it for the Fon, the Bon, Alexandrian Wicca, Adonism, Mandaeism, Jainism, Meivazhi, and the Lingayats etc. etc…
And the OP ascribes this orgy to Madelaine Albright in 1999, whereas post 17 says Hillary started it in 1996.
Islam is the third largest religion in the country. Over three million Americans are Muslims. So it’s reasonable to give Islam acknowledgement that we don’t give other religions.
That’s 1%.
However they are not doing it to please American muslims; it’s to placify those other muslims.
Anyway, the non-religious belief systems of the US seem to be about 15% — no State Department celebrates them, nor did they ever publicly honour the irreligion of the great Atheist regimes of the past 100 years.
And whatever the American percentages of any religion, that is not the same as the World percentages of that religion: there are not many American Buddhists, but there are a great number in Asia.
It is the foreign relations not domestic.
Oh you mean like the Communists. Yes we can expect that any day, the Americans celebrating the religious oppression politics of the Soviet Union and the PRC.
The US foreign policy is heavily exposed to the Muslim world and to specifically the Gulf region for its oil and to the Levant for another reason.
It is a rational usage of the state resources to engage in the public diplomacy in areas that have an appeal relative to this area. Just like visiting the Pope.
If the Budhdhists were unlucky to sit on great petrol reserves, they would get attention.
Boring, the faux outrages.
A quick googling also shows the US State Department hosts things related to Tibet and the Dalai Lama, I am sure if it was worth any time it could be demonstrated they do similar tihngs depending on the interest and utility for the national audiences in other religious traditions.
So horrible a tradition of having the diplomats do something in the cultural diplomacy like have a honorary dinner… the real diplomacy is shouting rude statements of course…
For better or worse, it’s the Abrahamic religions that dominate in the US.
Speaking as a member of a tiny religion, the press is getting more common and more positive, but I accept most people don’t give a fig about my religion. The only time I get cranky is when someone tries to convert me (which doesn’t work, but does annoy me).
Completely different things. What Madeline Albright started was a commemoration at the State Department, while what Hillary Clinton started was a commemoration at the White House.
And the Executive Branch orgy is a whole other thing. I think that goes on at Mar-A-Lago each weekend, at least since late January.
By the way, the OP mentions the event was sponsored by the Office of Religion and Global Affairs. Its website says it “works to implement the National Strategy on Religious Leader and Faith Community Engagement through three overarching roles for the Department. The office advises the Secretary on policy matters as they relate to religion; supports our posts and bureaus in their efforts to assess religious dynamics and engage religious actors; and serves as a first point of entry for individuals, both religious and secular, who would like to engage the State Department in Washington on matters of religion and global affairs.”
It wasn’t noted in the OP because it’s not true (records are on line, and on edit I see they’ve been linked to here).
But I realize we’re in a post-facts world, now.
I don’t understand are you saying we should follow tradition or not?
What I’m saying is that we shouldn’t do something just because it’s tradition, especially considering how short lived the tradition is.
And it being a tradition for a short time is not a good reason to stop it.
Do you have evidence to back that up?
Explain how you expect the government to acknowledge the religious ceremonies of people who don’t have religious ceremonies.
Which is irrelevant to my argument (although it does work against yours). The American government acknowledges the religions of Americans. It has no obligation to acknowledge religions based on world percentages.
The American government should acknowledge Eid al-Fitr because it’s a religious holiday practiced by Americans.
Except that we’re talking about the Department of State here. Should not they “acknowledge religions based on world percentages”, or at least based on those in which the Department of State operates facilities. Or do you think that today they should host Memorial Day barbecues at the American embassies around the world, such as in Jakarta and Riyadh, and invite the local dignitaries, just because it’s Memorial Day and that’s what we do, ignoring the fact that in some countries people are fasting?
US Embassies do host holiday events to celebrate American holidays. It is a routine thing, though not every embassy will host an event open to the public for every holiday. A reception with a limited guest list of host country dignitaries is more likely.
Officially representing US interests is an important part of the mission of Embassies and Consulates. As such, sometimes the US celebration is altered in some way to accommodate the needs of the guests. In 2015 Politifact confirmed as “Mostly True” that the 4th of July celebration at the US embassy in Jakarta was moved to June 4th to avoid having the celebration during Ramadan. Other US embassies have moved the Independence Day celebration to other months for reasons such as weather (avoiding monsoons) or just to have the event other than during a period when locals typically travel for vacation.
But important to note, not all receptions are moved to a different date. Sometimes, yes, we just charge ahead and hold events in accordance with US traditions.
For what it’s worth, Kerry held the first State Department Diwali celebration in 2014. It doesn’t appear that the practice continued in 2015/16, though maybe it just didn’t get any coverage.