White House annual iftar dinner cancelled after Muslims leaders decline invite
The White House instead hosted a meal for Muslim government staffers only and holding a separate meeting with a few Muslim American community figures.
White House annual iftar dinner is reported to have been cancelled after Muslim Americans declined the invite amid Biden’s support for Israel in the Gaza offensive!
This year, Ramadan comes as more than 30,000 people mostly children and women, have been killed since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, according to the Gaza health ministry.
The White House cancelled the annual iftar after many Muslim American leaders rejected the invite over Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
With the latest development, the White House had to hold a smaller dinner on Tuesday evening attended by only those who worked for his administration.
CNN previously reported that what was supposed to be an iftar dinner to break the Ramadan fast at the White House was changed to a meeting because participants didn’t feel comfortable having a celebratory meal while hundreds of thousands in Gaza are facing famine.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, a Palestinian American doctor walked out of a meeting with President Joe Biden, underscoring the high tensions, anger, and concern from Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim American communities amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Dr. Thaer Ahmad, an emergency physician from Chicago told CNN he abruptly left the meeting that included Vice President Kamala Harris, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, other administration officials, and a small group of Muslim community leaders.
“I said it was disappointing I’m the only Palestinian here, and out of respect for my community, I’m going to leave,” Ahmad told the US president.
Ahmad, who traveled to Gaza earlier this year as part of a delegation of doctors from the NGO MedGlobal, worked in the city of Khan Younis as fighting raged around the Nasser Hospital.
Before leaving the meeting, Dr Ahmad handed Biden a letter from an eight-year-old orphaned girl, Hadeel, who is in Rafah.
“I beg you, President Biden, stop them from entering Rafah,” a translation of the letter shared with CNN says.
Following the meeting, a White House official said in a statement that “President Biden and Vice President Harris know that this is a deeply painful moment for many in the Muslim and Arab communities.”
The official added, “ Biden made clear that he mourns the loss of every innocent life in this conflict” and expressed commitment “to continue working to secure an immediate ceasefire as part of a deal to free the hostages and significantly increase humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
