Ramadan Dinner at the White House: The Guest List Updated 7:38 p.m. By Michael A. Fletcher President Obama will host a White House dinner Tuesday night celebrating Ramadan, the Muslim holy month during which the faithful fast from dawn to sunset each day. Obama will be joined at the dinner by three Cabinet members, five members of Congress, nearly two dozen foreign diplomats, and 33 community leaders. Among the invited diplomats are the Israeli ambassador and the chief of mission for the Palestinian Liberation Organization, as well as the Indian and Pakistani ambassadors to the United States. Asked about the unusual step of inviting the Israeli ambassador to the dinner, the White House described it as a small part of the event. "Tonight was an opportunity to continue the tradition of hosting iftars at the White House, while celebrating Muslim Americans, and tonight's dinner is made up of a diverse group of individuals from business leaders to members of the US military," White House spokesman Thomas Vietor said. "Additionally, we thought it was an opportunity to reach out to ambassadors of nations with sizable Muslim populations, including the ambassadors of France, the [United Kingdom], India, and Israel." Obama intends to highlight one story in particular: that of Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, a young woman who broke high school basketball records in Massachusetts before heading to the University of Memphis -- while wearing a traditional hijab. Obama, who held <http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/04/10/a_low-key_high_profile_seder .html> an intimate Passover Seder at the White House in April, will host the dinner beginning at 8 p.m. tonight. Ramadan, which started on Aug. 22, will end on Sept. 20. On Aug. 21, the president released <http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/08/21/obama_wishes_ramadan_kareem_ to.html> a Ramadan video message to Muslims around the world. The guest list released by the White House follows: CABINET Secretary Robert Gates, Department of Defense Attorney General Eric Holder, Department of Justice Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services DEPUTY CABINET SECRETARIES Deputy Secretary Dennis Hightower, Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Adam Miller, Department of Education MEMBERS OF CONGRESS Congressman Andre Carson (Indiana 7th) Congressman John Conyers (Michigan 14th) Congressman Keith Ellison (Minnesota 5th) Congressman Rush Holt (New Jersey 12th) Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) DIPLOMATIC CORPS Ambassador Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al Hussein, Jordan Ambassador Adel A.M. Al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia Ambassador Husain Haqqani, Pakistan Ambassador Erlan A. Idrissov, Kazakhstan Ambassador His Excellency Said Tayeb Jawad, Afghanistan Ambassador Aziz Mekouar, Morocco Ambassador Peter N.R.O. Ogego, Kenya Ambassador Roble Olhaye, D'jibouti Ambassador Michael Oren, Israel Ambassador Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat, Indonesia Ambassador Klaus Scharioth, Germany Ambassador Meera Shankar, India Ambassador Nabi Sensoy, Turkey Ambassador Sir Nigel Elton Sheinwald, United Kingdom Ambassador Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Egypt Ambassador Samir Shakir Mahmood Sumaida'ie, Iraq Ambassador Pierre Nicolas Vimont, France Chargé d'Affaires Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Bangladesh Chargé d'Affaires Ilango Karuppanan, Malaysia Chargé d'Affaires Mohamed O Maiga, Chargé d'Affaires Angela Oi Foong Shim, Brunei Chargé d'Affaires Baba Gana Wakil, Nigeria Mr. Maen Areikat, Chief of Mission, PLO COMMUNITY MEMBERS Ms. Bilquis Abdul-Qaadir, University of Memphis Professor Azizah Al-Hibri, University of Richmond School of Law Ms. Reema Ali, Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights Mr. Hasan Chandoo, Oppenheimer & Co. Rabbi Nathan Diament, Director, Institute for Public Affairs, Orthodox Union* Imam Plemon El-Amin, Atlanta Masjid al-Islam Mr. Wahid Hamid, PepsiCo Ms. Dina Hammad Mr. Lutfi Hassan Ms. Nashala Hearn Ms. Rosalind Hearn Imam Yahya Hendi, Chaplain, Georgetown University Pastor Joel Hunter, Northland Church* Mr. Nooman Husain Mr. Imad Hussain Mr. Sanford Ibrahim, CEO, Radian Group Mr. Jameel Jaffer, Staff Attorney, ACLU Mrs. Elsheba Khan Dr. Mansur Khan, UMMA Community Clinic Ms. Farhana Khera, Muslim Advocates Lt. Commander Abuhena Saifulislam, U.S. Marine Corps Mr. Kareem Salama Imam Yusuf Saleem, Masjid Muhammad Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President, Islamic Society of North America Mr. Farooq Mitha Ms. Dalia Mogahed, Director, Gallup Center for Muslim Studies* Ms. Hutham Olayan, Olayan America Corp. Mr. Eboo Patel, Interfaith Youth Corps* Imam Yusuf Saleem, Masjid Muhammad Rabbi David Saperstein, Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism* Ms. Mina Trudeau, Executive Director, El Fatiha Foundation Mr. J. Saleh Williams, Congressional Muslim Staffers Association Mr. Mohamed Zakariya, Zakariya Calligraphy *denotes members of the President's Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships