Home / Middle-East

Why Muslim leaders rejected White House Iftar party

A Muslim devotee waves a Palestinian flag as they wait to break their fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Rawalpindi on April 3, 2024. (AFP)

By Abdirahman Khalif | 03 Apr 2024

The event stands in stark contrast to last April, when Biden held an Iftar party. Dozens of people gathered at the White House, applauding Biden as he addressed them.

The White House on Tuesday faced a setback as plans to hold an Iftar party for American Muslims were scrapped due to widespread opposition from Muslim American leaders. The cancellation happened due to President Joe Biden's support for Israel in its war with Gaza.

Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), highlighted the community's stance against having Iftar with an administration seen as helping Israel.

Keep reading

"The American Muslim community said very early on that it would be completely unacceptable for us to break bread with the very same White House that is enabling the Israeli government to starve and slaughter the Palestinian people in Gaza," Mitchell said.

Initially, the event was to be a gathering of different Muslim leaders, but as many declined the invitation, the White House opted for a smaller dinner restricted to members of Biden's administration. Journalists were also not invited, making it hard to know the identities of those who attended.

The event stands in stark contrast to last April, when Biden held an Iftar party. Dozens of people gathered at the White House, applauding Biden as he addressed them, saying, "It's your house."

Despite the cancellation, the Biden administration maintains its stance and continues to approve weapon sales to Israel while urging restraint and humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

The conflict has claimed over 33,000 lives of Palestinians and left hundreds of thousands of others in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

In response to the outcry, a White House official emphasised Biden's empathy for those affected by the conflict and pledged efforts to secure a ceasefire and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza.

In a bid for his reelection, Biden's administration has engaged with Arab American and Muslim leaders in various cities, including a recent meeting in Chicago attended by senior officials. However, concerns persist over the administration's handling of the Gaza crisis, particularly among Muslim American voters in battleground states like Michigan, which has over 200,000 Muslim voters.

Biden is facing trouble in his party as many Democratic voters in Michigan didn't fully support him in the primaries.

Additionally, the president has faced interruptions from activists on the campaign trail, reflecting widespread frustration over the perceived inadequacy of his response to the Gaza conflict.