Faran Tahir Attends Annual Iftar Party at The White House

[Wednesday, 24^th June’15]: Pakistani-American Hollywood actor Faran Tahir, who has been actively working towards creating more opportunities for Muslims in the West, attended the annual Iftar party hosted by US President Barack Obama at The White House on 22^nd June, 2015.

Faran Tahir with Razi Hashmi of the US State Department, at The White House

The actor was one of the few prominent people chosen to represent the local American Muslim community and engage in a conversation on how to focus on the giving, generous and principled nature of Muslims, and how to encourage a counter narrative to what the news focuses on at present whilst discussing Muslims at large.

Attendees were greeted with the showing to them of copies of the Holy Quran which Thomas Jefferson kept at The White House, after which they were seated and President Obama addressed the room. He spoke about how regardless of one’s faith, we are all one family. He also said Americans stood together in their resolve against the targeting of any religious and ethnic groups. Faran Tahir was seated with Congressman Andre Carson, one of the first Muslim congressmen in the U.S. Congress.

Subsequently Iftar was served. The Iftar menu comprised of Market Vegetable Salad, Rosemary Pita Chips, Feta Cheese Emulsion ~ Lemon Oil, Lemon Scented Local Lamb, Citrus Fondue, French Beans, Chantrelles and Crushed Peanut Potatoes, Chocolate Flourless Cake, Cherry Compote and Chai Tea ~ Yogurt Sorbet.

The Menu at The White House Iftar

Faran chose to wear a Ted Baker dark blue suit with a white shirt, gold tie and pocket square for this memorable occasion.

Speaking about his experience of interacting with the US President and dining at The White House, Faran Tahir said “I was very pleased to see that the President [Barack Obama] believes that it needs to be encouraged that a positive side of Muslims is portrayed more in media. We spoke briefly on how to work with a singular vision and break down negative stereotypes of Muslims. It was an amazing experience to be dining at The White House where some landmark decisions were made that shaped our history”.

In response to the recent criticism that the event has faced due to U.S foreign policies, Faran said, “Issues can only be resolved through dialogue. Boycotting in my opinion is not the answer to anything”.

About Faran Tahir

Faran Tahir (born February 16, 1964) is a Pakistani-American film and television actor. Tahir is best known for his act as Raza, the leader of a terrorist organization, “The Ten Rings” in Iron Man (2008). In 1985, he appeared as Bolshintsov in U.C. Berkeley’s production of A Month in the Country. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a BA in Theatre before acquiring a graduate degree from the American Repertory Theater’s (A.R.T.) Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University.

He made his film debut playing Nathoo in the Disney’s 1994 live-action version of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. He has since appeared in such films as Picture Perfect (1997), Anywhere But Here (1999) and Charlie Wilson’s War (2007). He also played the male lead in the 1999 independent film ABCD. In 2008, Tahir played the role of the villain Raza in the Marvel Comics-based Iron Man. He played Starfleet Captain Richard Robau in the 2009 film Star Trek. In 2013, Tahir played President Patel in the science-fiction film Elysium.

Tahir has guest starred on many television series, including Alias, The Practice, Family Law, The Agency, NYPD Blue, Lost, 7th Heaven, The West Wing, Walker, Texas Ranger, The D.A., 24, Monk, Justice, Cold Case, Chuck and Warehouse 13. He also co-starred with Robert Beltran and Chase Masterson in the 2005 Sci-Fi Channel original movie Manticore. He also starred in the medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy as Isaac and appeared on the CW series Supernatural as the Egyptian god Osiris in the seventh season’s episode “Defending Your Life”. Tahir starred in the ghost horror film Jinn. His most recent TV role was that of Frank, Cliff Barnes’ right-hand man in the reboot of Dallas.

He appeared in JAG in the episodes “Ice Queen” and “Meltdown” which served as the two pilot episodes for the series NCIS. Seven years later, Tahir appeared in the spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles.