The White House was told that due to Biden’s support for Israel his Ramadan reception invites could be declined.
American Muslim leaders warned the White House that invites to President Biden’s Ramadan reception may be declined because of his support for Israel’s war against Hamas.
A report by US-based news outlet Politico said that due to this development, Biden’s aide will host a scaled-down version of the event marking the Islamic holiday Eid al-Fitr and limit invitations to Biden administration officials and ambassadors from Muslim-majority nations.
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“I’m not sure how they’re going to be able to do this this year. A lot of people are just not going to go,” an American Muslim leader who attended previous Biden-hosted White House Ramadan receptions was quoted as saying by Politico.
Biden hosted hundreds of Muslim community leaders in White House East Room in the past years for the annual event marking the end of the holiest month on the Islamic calendar.
Former US president Donald Trump broke with 20 years of White House tradition in 2017 by not hosting the annual Ramadan event. He, however, hosted Ramadan receptions in 2018 and 2019 which were attended by foreign diplomats.
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Salam al-Marayati, told Politico, that the Muslim community has “no appetite” to celebrate Ramadan with Biden. The Muslim Public Affairs Council President feels that Biden’s support for Israel is the key reason behind this sentiment.
Biden’s support among Arab Americans fell due to his backing of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. A John Zogby Strategies poll commissioned by the Arab American Institute in October 2023 found that only 17.4% of Arab American voters would vote for Biden in 2024.
The same poll taken in 2020 measured Arab American support for Biden at 59%.
In January, about a dozen Muslim and Arab American Michigan elected officials, officeholders, and community leaders declined to meet with Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez. The planned summit sparked outrage in the community, with some invited attendees expressing disapproval of Israeli military action in Gaza and questioning why campaign officials were sent to the state instead of policymakers.
The following month, the White House sent a delegation of top Biden administration officials to Michigan. Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, among them, acknowledged “missteps” in the administration’s support of Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists.
During the state’s Democratic presidential primary last month, more than 100,000 Michigan Democrats, who represent a sizable Muslim and Arab American voting bloc, voted “uncommitted” in protest of the president.
