City attorney says Muslim Minneapolis City Council members can’t host iftar in a city building

Several Muslim Minneapolis City Council members say they’re disappointed that the city attorney has put the brakes on their plan to hold an iftar Friday in a city building using city funds.

An iftar is the meal eaten by Muslims at sunset to break fast during Ramadan.

Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai and Aurin Chowdhury, Jamal Osman and Jeremiah Ellison — the council’s four Muslim members — had planned to host the iftar in the Public Service Building in downtown Minneapolis.

In a letter to the more than 100 people who had signed up to attend the meal, Chughtai, Chowdhury and Osman called the event an “interfaith gathering.”

They said they were “profoundly disappointed” after City Attorney Kristyn Anderson and City Operations Officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher told them this week that they were not allowed to host the meal in a city-owned building or use city resources to pay for it.

City spokeswoman Jess Olstad said in a statement Thursday that the city celebrates the diversity of its elected officials, staff members and residents, but it must comply with separation of church requirements in the state and U.S. constitutions.

“This means that the city can’t sponsor a religious event with city funds and use a city space that is not open to the general public for a religious event,” Olstad said.

“This prohibition applies regardless of religion — whether this was an iftar, Seder or a Lenten fish fry, the advice would have been the same: City resources can’t be used for religious events."

Olstad said City Council members could have moved the iftar event to a non-city location and used non-city funds. But, Olstad said, “apparently council members made the decision to cancel.”

The council members’ letter said Police Chief Brian O’Hara has hosted an iftar using city resources for the past two years.

“The sudden decision to block our community-led iftar raises serious concerns about double standards and exclusion,” the letter said.

“At its core, breaking bread together is about strengthening our relationships and affirming that our public spaces belong to all of us. It is disheartening that this administration does not share that view.”

Initially, city spokespeople released a statement by Police Department spokesman Garrett Parten that said O’Hara did not use city funds for iftars, nor did he host them in a city facility.

But Parten later clarified that O’Hara hosted two iftars on private property and appeared at an iftar hosted by the Somali American Police Association in the Public Service Building.

In a statement, Chowdhury said: “I wish everyone a peaceful Ramadan and encourage all residents to break bread with their Muslim neighbors — with hate on the rise across religion, immigration status, race, sexual orientation, and gender identity — it is more important than ever to come together with neighbors and understand each other. That was the hope with this Community Iftar, to open doors to everyone to break bread — unfortunately we will not be doing that in this capacity."

Chughtai and Osman did not respond to a request for comment. Ellison declined to comment.