Obama to host Iftar on Friday: White House

US President Barack Obama will on Friday join an evening meal to break the daily fast observed by Muslims during the holy month of Ramazan, the White House said.

The hosting of Iftar will be held in a dining room at the White House, his spokesman said.

Obama participated in a traditional Ramazan meal in September 2009, where he praised Islam as an integral part of the United States.

Earlier this week the president offered his best wishes to Muslims in the United States and around the world as they welcomed the holy month, saying: "All of us must remember that the world we want to build and the changes that we want to make  must begin in our own hearts, and our own communities.

Obama said the rituals of Ramadan "remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam's role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings." "Here in the United States, Ramadan is a reminder that Islam has always been part of America and that American Muslims have made extraordinary contributions to our country," he said.