Last night I had the enormous pleasure of hosting an Iftar - the breaking of the daylight fast during the holy month of Ramadan - for over 150 Muslim and non-Muslim guests from US society and government, and fellow Ambassadors from across the world. We were especially lucky to be joined by the UK's most senior Muslim Minister, Sadiq Khan, and a delegation of British Muslims who had travelled out to the States for discussions with American Muslims and colleagues.
Hosting the Iftar was a double first - both for me personally and for the Residence here in Washington DC. It required a few special preparations, including the setting aside of a room for prayer and, with judicious use of a compass, establishing in which direction Mecca lay.
At 7.24pm - as the sun slipped below the Washington horizon - Imam Hendi, from Georgetown University, began the call to prayer for those practising Muslims in attendance. As is traditional, guests were offered dates. And, after prayers and brief welcomes, the Imam blessed the food - a delicious selection of halal meats, flat breads and fruit kebabs. For those observing the daily fast, it was time to share food and conversation with friends and colleagues.
Sadiq Khan addressed our guests on behalf of the UK, commenting on the warmth of feeling that exists between British and American Muslims. His observations on the common bond and character that Americans and Britons share, irrespective of religion, rang very true for me.
Events like this are important. British culture and society are hugely enriched by the contribution that over two million British Muslims make to life in the UK. And it is right that the British Embassy plays its part in helping to showcase that. We're also working to foster more connections between Muslim communities in the UK and the US, strengthening the important people-to-people links between our countries that give life to the special relationship.
As I said to our guests in my welcoming remarks, they were all from different backgrounds and cultures - but we came together that night sharing a common belief - in peace, diversity and tolerance.
Ramadan Mubarak!
Posted at 16:43 11 September 2009 by Nigel Sheinwald | Comments[1]
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The Embassy opens its doors this Saturday as part of EU Open House day - where the embassies of EU members in Washington, DC welcome the public.
These open houses are about more than seeing embassies. Although we are quite proud of our Embassy, this open house is mostly an opportunity to showcase the UK to the American public.
In keeping with one of the top priorities of the UK government, there will be a green theme to our open house. Visitors will have a chance to tour the Residence Gardens, learn how to green their homes and check out the new electric Mini Cooper. We'll also exchange plastic grocery bags with reusable, environmentally friendly bags.
I hope visitors will leave knowing that the UK is a leader on green action.
But equally I hope that they will enjoy a day of British culture and food. The Washington British School will provide entertainment and there will also be traditional British food and whisky available.
In true British fashion, we'll be doing all this rain or shine.
Posted at 15:43 07 May 2009 by Nigel Sheinwald | Comments[0]
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Washington, New York and the Financial Crisis
The global financial crisis has been the number one issue for the Washington Embassy in recent weeks. It’s been raised in nearly every meeting I have had, with the Administration, Congress, business leaders, journalists and of course the Presidential campaigns. And it’s been at the centre of the Presidential debates – I was lucky enough to attend the second and third, in Tennessee and in New York.
Our small Embassy economic team, drawn from the UK Treasury, Bank of England and Foreign Office, has never been busier. Throughout the past few weeks there have been constant contacts between our Government, Bank of England and regulatory authorities and their American counterparts, which the Embassy has helped facilitate. Our Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, announced a major package of measures to stabilise the banking sector last week. Last weekend, the Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, both stayed at my Residence while meeting their counterparts at the IMF and World Bank. It was my job and that of my team to explain our approach to our contacts here ahead of those meetings. Last weekend’s meetings of G7 and G20 Ministers drew on the main elements of the British plan and provided a new level of international coordination on handling the crisis.
This in turn informed the decisions taken at the Euro Group meetings last Sunday and yesterday’s European Summit in Brussels. We now have a detailed and clear European position coordinated with the United States and our other major financial partners.
The crisis was the subject on everyone’s lips at the historic Al Smith dinner in New York yesterday evening at which both Senator McCain and Senator Obama spoke – with great wit and dignity. Among those I talked to, there was a welcome recognition of the role played by Gordon Brown and other European leaders, in consultation with the US Administration, in helping to find a way forward.
Gordon Brown has explained the present position in an article in today’s Washington Post. This looks beyond the immediate stabilisation of the financial system to the need for major reform of the global financial architecture and a sound new regulatory framework. These will provide the best basis for avoiding a recurrence of the turbulence we have seen over the past year or more. The UK strongly supports the idea of holding a Leaders’ Summit in the near future to discuss a shared international response to the longer term issues thrown up by this first global financial crisis of the 21st Century.
I expect this set of issues to remain high on the Embassy’s agenda in the weeks and months ahead.
Posted at 15:55 17 October 2008 by Nigel Sheinwald | Comments[1]
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