Mayor Steve Adler, Rep. Ilhan Omar call for unity at Citywide Iftar

Looking out at a gathering that included the majority of the Austin City Council, Mayor Steve Adler told his audience that he faced a simple decision in choosing to attend the annual Citywide Iftar on Saturday night.

"It is my privilege and my duty to lead into and not retreat from learning and growing opportunities for my community," Adler told the crowd of 650 people, who came together for a ceremonial dinner during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. The fourth annual Iftar was organized by eMgage, a national nonprofit that seeks to draw Muslims into politics.

Adler was the guest of honor Saturday at the event inside a North Austin hotel, but he was only one of two notable speakers. The keynote address was delivered by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who is among the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress.

Earlier this week, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called on Adler to skip the event because of Omar's involvement. The freshman congresswoman has faced criticism from some for comments deemed to be anti-Semitic and remarks viewed as dismissive of the 9/11 attacks.

Adler, who is Jewish, has been a guest at each of the previous citywide Iftars. On Saturday night, he was presented an award in recognition of his support of the Austin Muslim community.

In his speech, Adler called Omar an "inspiring and wonderful symbol of our country's progress toward real and meaningful representation in government for people who have not previously seen themselves reflected in our democratic institutions." The mayor also challenged Austinites to speak out against hateful speech.

“It is our responsibility to point out the impact of language rooted in old and harmful stereotypes and to hold the speakers of those words accountable," he said. "But when we speak out, we must be consistent. We must condemn all hateful and hurtful language."

Omar told the audience that through unity, Muslims and other communities can push back against hate.

"Mayor Adler and community leaders knew the best way to push back when people seek to divide our communities is with coming together and affirming that there is more that unites us than divides us," she said. "As Americans we must all stand together in rejecting hate and embracing one another in order to create a country and culture of unity and justice."

Omar said Islamophobia is on the rise around the world and across the U.S., including in Texas. She said mosques in Texas regularly receive death threats and that there has been a rise in hate speech against Muslims in the Austin area.

The attacks Muslims face, Omar said, are "the same as the ones that Jews face every single day."

"Attacks on faiths are linked and we must confront them together," she added. "Anti-semitism and Islamophobia are two sides of the same bigoted coin."

Kumail Hasan, founder and chairman of the, said the event was created to bridge the gap between Austin Muslims and local elected officials. He said this year's dinner was the largest to date.

"People have come to realize how important it is to engage with our local elected officials and that's been a huge theme of the event," Hasan said. "This year over 90 Muslims ran for office, the most ever in a single year in American history. I think that spirit has really impacted the Austin community as well."

More than two dozen protestors and counter protestors gathered outside the hotel ahead of the event. Some held banners displaying supportive messages for Omar and played drums. Others held signs calling for Omar to leave Austin and were openly armed with rifles and protective gear.

"I think he's ill-informed, especially since he is Jewish, or he's not what he says he is," said Steven Moore, a member of ACT for America, about Adler appearing at the event. "If he's siding with Omar, he is not fit to represent us."

Josh Blaine, a member of the Jewish-American activist group IfNotNow, showed his support for Omar by singing songs while standing next to those protesting her appearance. "To say her philosophy and statements are anti-Semitic is completely off base," Blaine said. 

IfNotNow presented a banner to Omar that read, "Jews stand with Ilhan."

"We felt it was part of our responsibility to show up for our Muslim brothers and sisters and say we want to be here, we believe in you and what you're doing ... do what we can to distract from people who are perpetuating hate speech," Blaine said.