CBNNews.com- President Bush is hosting a controversial event at the White House Thursday evening, with an invitation to Muslim officials and clerics to join him for prayer and dinner in observance of the holy month of Ramadan.

Many Christians question the president's decision to make the Islamic celebration of "iftar" into a standard religious observance for the White House.

Iftar officially breaks Muslims' daytime fast.

Islam, referred to by some politicians as a religion of peace, is viewed by many conservative Americans as a faith rooted in violence and hostility toward non-Muslims, collectively referred to as "infidels."

One of the invited guests to Bush's annual event is Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota.

Ellison, the only Muslim elected to office, asked to be sworn into his position in Congress with the Koran instead of the Bible.

The Democrat expressed that he is looking forward to Thursday's iftar event at the White House, and noted that he has also engaged in Ramadan observances at the Pentagon and the Capitol.

This week, the House voted unanimously, 376-0, to recognize Islam's holy month of Ramadan. The resolution commended Muslims and hailed the Islamic faith as "one of the great religions of the world."

More pro-Muslim sentiment by the U.S. government was evident on September 25 when a Muslim cleric delivered the House's daily prayer.

The Bible teaches that leaders who embraced, tolerated or celebrated foreign gods brought suffering and disaster upon their nation.

Sources: The Associated Press, CBN News