The White House has been warned by Muslim leaders that an invitation to President Biden’s Ramadan reception could be declined because of his support for Israel’s war against Hamas.
As a result, the 81-year-old president’s aides are preparing to host a scaled-down event to commemorate the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, including inviting Biden administration officials and Muslim ambassadors. It was reported that there may be restrictions. majority nation.
“I don’t know how they’re going to be able to accomplish this this year. A lot of people don’t want to go,” said a Muslim leader who attended President Biden’s past Ramadan receptions. told the outlet.
For the past few years, Biden has hosted hundreds of Muslim community leaders in the spacious White House East Room for an annual event marking the end of the Islamic calendar’s holiest month.
In 2021, the event was held virtually due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
In 2017, former President Donald Trump chose not to host a Ramadan event, breaking 20 years of White House tradition.
Trump, 77, was also scheduled to host Ramadan receptions in 2018 and 2019, most of which were attended by foreign diplomats, according to Politico.
Salam Al-Marayati, chairman of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said there was “no appetite” in the Muslim community to celebrate Ramadan with Mr. Biden.
Biden’s support among Arab Americans has plummeted following his support for Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
A John Zogby Strategies poll commissioned by the Arab American Institute last October found that only 17.4% of Arab American voters said they would vote for Biden in 2024.
The same poll in 2020 showed Biden’s approval rating among Arab Americans was 59%.
About a dozen Michigan elected officials, officials, and community leaders who are Muslim and Arab-American were elected to the Biden campaign’s Julie Biden campaign in January after a scheduled summit sparked “outrage” in the community. Some of the invited attendees expressed their disapproval of Israel’s military action in Gaza by refusing to meet with Chavez Rodriguez. Campaign officials, not policy makers, were sent to the states.
The following month, the White House sent a delegation of Biden administration officials to Michigan, one of whom, Vice President for National Security John Finer, criticized the administration’s “mistakes” in supporting Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists. ” was acknowledged.
More than 100,000 Michiganders, a state with a large Muslim and Arab-American voting bloc, voted “irresponsible” in protest of the president in the state’s Democratic presidential primary last month.
