Photo : Zach Gibson ( Getty Images ) It came as no surprise last year when Donald Trump’s White House broke with precedent and declined to host iftar, a dinner commemorating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Trump has, to put it quite mildly, not been kind to Islam and its followers. So it’s way more shocking that this president—the one behind the Muslim Ban, who said in 2015 that “we have a problem in this country; it’s called Muslims”—quietly announced this week that the White House will host a Ramadan dinner. Advertisement Politico first reported the baffling news, which includes a statement by the White House: “Ramadan reminds us of the richness Muslims add to the religious tapestry of American life.” Uh, so which is it, pal? Giant Muslim problem or rich cultural tapestry? If you’re going to be a giant asshole, at least stick to your position for clarity’s sake. And with the dinner scheduled for Wednesday night, Pacific Standard reports no one really knows who’s going to attend: “It’s not clear whether any Muslim-American community leaders will be at the White House to participate in the meal.” Prominent members of the Muslim-American community contacted by Pacific Standard all said they hadn’t been invited and were perplexed by the entire situation. It really wouldn’t surprise me if this whole Ramadan dinner was cancelled last-minute, or was set up as a trap to announce another round of immigration policy changes. Either way, tomorrow’s White House press briefing should be a hoot.<doc-sep>(CNN) — President Donald Trump will host a dinner at the White House this week celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The iftar is scheduled for Wednesday, according to Politico, which first reported Trump would host the dinner, and a guest list was not made available by the White House. The event was not held last year, breaking nearly two decades of tradition by previous Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. As he also did last year, Trump released a statement in mid-May celebrating the start of Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims may not eat or drink from dawn to dusk, and the tradition of fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. There are approximately 3.45 million Muslims in the United States as of 2017.<doc-sep>President Donald Trump announced plans to host an iftar dinner at the White House to commemorate Muslim holy month Ramadan, after failing to do so last year. A White House official confirmed the dinner would be hosted on Wednesday, Politico reported on Sunday, although no attendees are confirmed by the White House yet. Previous presidents have held iftar dinners, with Trump breaking two decades of tradition by failing to host the dinner in 2017—and prompting criticism for doing so. Indeed, Imam Talib Shareef of the Nation's Mosque in Washington, DC, told Newsweek at the time: "It is disappointing because that's been a good tradition." "To stop it doesn't send a good message. You get the chance to go golfing and all this other kind of stuff. How come you don't have time for a population of your society that needs some assistance? The message that it sends is that we're not that important." Trump's decision not to hold an iftar last year came despite commenting on the campaign trail that it wouldn't bother him to hold a White House iftar, as his predecessors Barack Obama and George W. Bush had done, The Telegraph reported. However, this year, the president appears to have embraced the Ramadan custom, which sees Muslims around the world break their daily fast with a communal iftar dinner, held after sunset each day. And Trump also sent a message to Muslims in America observing Ramadan, stating: "Ramadan reminds us of the richness Muslims add to the religious tapestry of American life. In the United States, we are all blessed to live under a Constitution that fosters religious liberty and respects religious practice. "Our Constitution ensures Muslims can observe Ramadan in accordance with the dictates of conscience and unimpeded by government. By doing so, the Constitution also furnishes varied opportunities for all Americans to deepen their understanding of the human soul," he continued. "As so many people unite to celebrate Ramadan, Melania and I join in the hope for a blessed month. Ramadan Mubarak."<doc-sep>Trump hosts dinner honoring Ramadan, despite tensions with Muslims After skipping it last year, President Donald Trump on Wednesday hosted an iftar dinner to honor the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, declaring it “a great month.” But in a sign of the lingering tension between Trump and the U.S. Islamic community, the guest list appeared skewed toward foreign diplomats, not American Muslims. Activists, meanwhile, held a counter-event — titled “NOT Trump’s Iftar” — in a park across from the White House. Some said the president’s policies had so alienated U.S. Muslims that few would have accepted an invitation to break their daily Ramadan fast with him. Around 50 people were at the White House dinner, including Vice President Mike Pence, several Cabinet secretaries, and ambassadors from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. “In gathering together this evening we honor a sacred tradition of one of the world’s great religions,” Trump said, speaking from notes. He added that Ramadan is a celebration of a “timeless message of peace, clarity and love. There is great love.” “It’s a great month,” Trump said at one point, grinning. “A lot of friends, a lot of great friends.” Muslims around the world observe Ramadan, a month that involves prayer, reflection and fasting from sunrise to sunset. Once the sun has set, Muslims break their daily fast with a meal known as an iftar, often surrounded by friends and family. U.S. presidents from both political parties have regularly hosted special iftar dinners in a tradition that dates to the Bill Clinton administration. Prominent American Muslims as well as diplomats from Muslim-majority countries have been invited in the past. Trump, however, abandoned the iftar tradition his first year in office. The decision wasn’t entirely a surprise given his frequently hostile comments about Islam, a centuries-old religion with 1.6 billion adherents around the world. POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or updates from POLITICO and you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. You can unsubscribe at any time and you can contact us here. This sign-up form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. During his campaign for president, he often spoke of the religion in the context of terrorist acts carried out by a small number of its followers, at one point saying in an interview with CNN, “I think Islam hates us.” Trump claimed falsely that American Muslims in New Jersey had celebrated the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He also proposed banning Muslims from entering the United States as a way to reduce terrorism. While in office, Trump has imposed a travel ban targeting people from a handful of countries, most of them with majority-Muslim populations. Some of his aides, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, have links to groups that many Muslims consider Islamophobic. (Neither Pompeo nor Bolton were spotted in the room by reporters nor mentioned by Trump on Wednesday night.) At the same time, Trump has cultivated friendly ties with the leaders of several prominent Muslim-majority countries, including Gulf Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, which he views as key to U.S. national security priorities, including containing Iran. During his speech on Wednesday night, Trump spoke fondly of how his first presidential visit to a country overseas was to Saudi Arabia, where he addressed a gathering of dozens of leaders of Muslim-majority countries. He called his visit “one of the great two days of my life.” “Only by working together can we achieve a future of security and prosperity for all,” Trump added in comments clearly aimed at the diplomats. As he often does in public settings, Trump also referenced America’s “tremendous economy,” calling it the “best we’ve ever had.” U.S. Muslim activists contacted by POLITICO said they were unaware of any person in their community being invited to the White House dinner. Some said they would have declined because of how Trump has cast aspersions on their loyalty to the United States. “No one in the Muslim community can look at his actions and think that he is a friend,” said Bilal Askaryar, who helped organize the counter-iftar. “This is a man treating us like we don’t belong.” The White House did not immediately release a guest list on Wednesday night, and it did not reply to a query from POLITICO about how many U.S. Muslims were on it. But in a statement ahead of the dinner, it indicated that the invitees were largely foreign officials. “Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together,” the White House said. “Today at 8 p.m., President Trump will host an iftar dinner in the State Dining Room at the White House for the Washington diplomatic community.” Trump, in his remarks, thanked several of his top aides for attending, including Pence, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. His son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, was also present. The imam invited to lead the Muslim call to prayer during the White House event was Dawud Abdul-Aziz Agbere, a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel in the chaplain corps. Trump, who offered general thanks to the Muslim community “at home and abroad for joining us,” expressed special appreciation to Agbere, though he stumbled by referring to him as “Iman.” While Trump is viewed with unusually high levels of skepticism by U.S. Muslims, past iftar dinners held at the White House have often brought mixed emotions to the faith community. President George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq and President Barack Obama’s use of drones were among the issues that upset many U.S. Muslims, and some were criticized for attending the White House events. As Trump dined with his guests on Wednesday, dozens of Muslims as well as non-Muslim allies gathered in protest across from the White House. People held signs and chanted, “Say it loud, say it clear: Muslims are welcome here!” They also prayed.<doc-sep>
President Donald Trump's White House will host a ceremonial iftar dinner this week to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The iftar is a daily breakfast meal for Muslims who fast from sunrise to sunset during the month. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of the Muslim faith. Those who participate take part in two ritual meals: The iftar after sunset, to break the daily fast, and suhoor, before sunrise, to prepare for the day's fast. The iftar meal is often eaten communally, with family and friends at home, or at a local mosque. Many Muslims also include dates in that meal, as tradition dictates that is how the Prophet Muhammad broke his fast. President Donald Trump will host an iftar dinner on Wednesday to celebrate the month of Ramadan, a White House official told Politico. Trump did not host an iftar dinner in 2017, breaking the traditional dinners Barack Obama and George W. Bush used to hold. Last month, the White House released a statement to commemorate Ramadan and the Muslims in the U.S. who were participating in the holy month. "Ramadan reminds us of the richness Muslims add to the religious tapestry of American life. In the United States, we are all blessed to live under a Constitution that fosters religious liberty and respects religious practice," the statement read. "Our Constitution ensures Muslims can observe Ramadan in accordance with the dictates of conscience and unimpeded by government. By doing so, the Constitution also furnishes varied opportunities for all Americans to deepen their understanding of the human soul." But, some Muslim organizations are skipping out on the dinner and holding one of their own. The Council on American-Islamic Relations announced on Tuesday they will be hosting a "NOT Trump Iftar" dinner to break the fast. In a statement about the event, CAIR said it will host the dinner in Layfette Square right outside of the White House during Trump's dinner. "President Trump has attacked Muslims since the beginning of his campaign and codified his Islamophobia with the Muslim Bans. Now he wants to make nice and host an iftar dinner after skipping the tradition last year. Join us this for a counter iftar held simultaneously outside the White House to say not in our name," the event reads on Facebook. CAIR "has witnessed an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president," the group said in a statement.