In a striking departure from last year's large and cheerful Ramadan celebration at the White House, CBS News reported that President Joe Biden hosted a notably smaller iftar dinner this year, amid significant discontent from the Muslim American community over his administration's support for Israel's actions in Gaza.
This year's subdued event, marked by the absence of key Muslim leaders, underscores a growing rift between the Biden administration and Muslim Americans.
Last Ramadan, the atmosphere at the White House was electric with hundreds of Muslims in attendance, and an attendee's shout of "we love you" to President Biden before his address underscored the warmth and camaraderie of the occasion. The contrast with this year's iftar could not be starker. This time, the event was limited to Biden administration workers, a move attributed to the tumult caused by the administration's stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The decision by Wa'el Alzayat, leader of the prominent Muslim advocacy group Emgage, to decline his invitation to the Iftar dinner is indicative of the broader discontent within the community. Alzayat pointed to the ongoing famine in Gaza as rendering such a celebration inappropriate, a sentiment likely shared by other Muslim leaders who chose to stay away.
After the refusal of significant figures like Alzayat, the White House ostensibly altered the event's focus toward policy discussions related to the conflict. However, this modification did little to sway the invited leaders, including Alzayat, who expressed skepticism about the potential for serious policy dialogue in such a format.
In response to the criticism and amidst the complex dynamics of international diplomacy, the White House, including Vice President Kamala Harris, sought to engage Muslim leaders in a meeting aimed at expressing sorrow for the innocent lives lost in the conflict. The administration underscored its commitment to securing a ceasefire in Gaza, signaling a possibly nuanced approach to addressing the concerns of the Muslim American community.
The poignant action of Dr. Thaer Ahmad, a Palestinian-American ER doctor, during a meeting with Biden, epitomizes the depth of feeling within the community. Dr. Ahmad presented President Biden with a letter from an 8-year-old orphan in Gaza before leaving the meeting in protest, a demonstrative act that starkly conveyed the human cost of the conflict.
Recorded exclusion from the meeting of Arab Americans who supported Biden in the 2020 election, over critical views of the president's policies on Israel and Hamas expressed via social media, has contributed to feelings of alienation within the community. This estrangement between the administration and a previously supportive demographic has raised alarms over potentially waning support in critical electoral battlegrounds.
Journalists were barred from attending both the iftar dinner and the subsequent policy meeting, a decision that marked a stark departure from the usual transparency of such events under the Biden administration. The absence of annual public Ramadan celebrations on the president's official schedule further highlighted the subdued nature of this year's observance.
In a direct show of dissatisfaction, activists organized their iftar in Lafayette Park, Washington, turning a tradition of celebration into an act of protest against the Biden administration's policies on the Israel-Hamas conflict. This act of defiance mirrored the broader feelings of disillusionment within the community over the administration's stance.
The devastation wrought by Hamas's attack on Oct. 7 and the subsequent Israeli retaliation has stirred international concern and condemnation. The attack resulted in the loss of 1,200 Israeli lives and approximately 33,000 Palestinian deaths, according to reports from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Despite the tragic toll, the Biden administration proceeded to approve weapon sales to Israel, a move that has further exacerbated tensions within the Muslim American community.
Nihad Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations echoed the sentiment of many by urging a decline of White House invitations unless a ceasefire was announced. His comments following the Oct. 7 attack, which the White House criticized as antisemitic—a claim Awad refuted—underscore the delicate balance of diplomacy and domestic politics.
The marked difference in this year's White House iftar dinner, set against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas conflict, serves as a poignant reflection of the current state of relations between the Biden administration and the Muslim American community. The absence of key leaders, the rejection of the White House's overtures for policy discussions, and acts of protest both within and outside the political arena signify a deepening fracture in this alliance. As tensions continue over the administration's Middle East policies, particularly its support for Israel amid ongoing conflict, the challenge of maintaining support among crucial constituencies while navigating the complexities of international diplomacy remains a formidable task for President Biden and his team.