For the first time, US President Donald Trump held a Ramadan iftar together at White House on Wednesday (6/6). However, a number of top figures large Muslim community in the US are reportedly not attending the event.
Some see Trump's anti-Muslim sentiment as long as it makes enthusiasm decline, and the relationship between US Muslim community and the government is stretched.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations also held a protest related the first Ramadan iftar at White House.
"It is no wonder for me that major US Muslim figures and organizations are not invited or agreed to attend the event, given the current government's position and policy are Islamophobia and white supremacy," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Wednesday (6/6).
In his first year in office, Trump did not hold regular Ramadan iftar as his predecessors had done since President Bill Clinton came to power.
Although Trump finally held an iftar together in his second year in office, the major Muslim community who are always invited by the White House right now are no longer invited
The White House refused to release a list of invited guests, but a White House spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders, said there were about 30-40 guests who attend the event. Most guests invited by Trump are government officials and ambassadors of Islamic countries in the US.
"There are no ties even real efforts from the White House to invite representatives from our religious communities to hospitable," said Hoda Hawa, recruited by the policy and advocacy of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).
MPAC is one of the major Islamic organizations focused on promoting pro-Muslim policies in the US. MPAC was not invited by Trump to an iftar event, although the group's representatives always attended at similar events in previous governments.
Hawa thought there was no reason either for her organization to attend a similar state event under Trump's leadership.
Also read: Trump will host Ramadan Iftar at the White House celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
"His politics (Trump) has shown us, not just Muslims but all Americans, that he is the president and a person who does not appreciate Muslim contributions to this country," Hawa said.
In addition to MPAC, Islamic Relief USA, the largest humanitarian organization in the US, also did not receive the invitation from White House. Islamic Relief USA focuses on eradicating poverty, hunger and homelessness in more than 40 countries.
Islamic Relief USA at least three times invited and attend in the iftar at White House in the era of President Barack Obama.
"We do not need that event, we need more respect that we should accept, do not feed us and poke us at the same time," said Imam Yahya Hendi, an Islamic scholar from Georgetown University as quoted by CNN.
Hendi said he has not invited to the White House this year. He had attended a similar event in 2009 when Obama was in power.
Even though Trump invites him, Hendi says he will most likely not attend the event, "and not a few similar-minded Muslim leaders" Hendi said
Some figures see this year's iftar event as "Trump" in order to appease US allies who are worried about his attitude toward Muslims, not to really get closer to the Islamic community in the country.
"I was not invited, but if I was invited I would not come to the iftar. Attending such an event in the current government era, in my opinion, means to tolerate the government's attitude related to Islam so far," said Dalia Mogahed, Director of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.
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