Endorsing Islam?

There is an item amidst the furor over the NYC mosque that hasn't gotten much, if any, attention.

When Obama made his initial comments about the mosque (right to freedom of religion, etc.), he made them during a dinner at the White House celebrating Ramadan. Why is the White House celebrating Ramadan?

I'm not bringing this up in the context of the recent poll in which 18% of Americans think Obama is a Muslim. I don't know what he is, although his fondness for Islam is clear from his statement some time back that the call to prayer for Muslims at sunset is one of the most beautiful sounds on earth. In my view, that sentiment goes a bit beyond the standard "we respect all religions" platitudes that we expect from politicians.

But whatever his religious beliefs may be, why is the White House having a dinner to celebrate Ramadan? Isn't that an endorsement of religion, which we are told by many (primarily on the left) is what the Constitution prohibits? We still have the White House Christmas tree each year, but over the years that has become a holiday season tree, lest some anti-religionists get offended. Every year we see cases where Christmas nativity scenes are found to violate the separation of church and state. No more prayer in schools, or Ten Commandments on one building or another. There has been an ongoing effort to stamp any reference to religion out of the public square, based on modern day interpretations of what the Establishment Clause says, as opposed to what it actually says.

So, I ask again. How can Obama have a White House dinner to celebrate Ramadan and those who crusade against government endorsement of religion don't even bat an eye?