{"id":2042,"date":"2013-07-24T06:35:31","date_gmt":"2013-07-24T10:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/cityofbrass\/?p=2042"},"modified":"2013-07-24T06:42:16","modified_gmt":"2013-07-24T10:42:16","slug":"honored-to-be-invited-to-the-state-department-iftar-and-grateful-for-the-whitehouseiftar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/cityofbrass\/2013\/07\/honored-to-be-invited-to-the-state-department-iftar-and-grateful-for-the-whitehouseiftar.html","title":{"rendered":"Honored to be invited to the State Department Iftar – and grateful for the #WhiteHouseIftar"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iftar-invite\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I am grateful and honored to have been invited to the State Department Iftar<\/a> hosted by Secretary John Kerry, which will take place tonight in Washington D.C. It is with sincere regret that I am unable to attend due to my other obligations during Ramadan. <\/p>\n

President Obama will also hold an iftar at the White House<\/a> tomorrow evening, which will be his 5th (one every year of his Presidency thus far) and continues a tradition begun by President George W. Bush<\/a> in November of 2001. <\/p>\n

Now, this year these Iftars have come under fire by certain political activists in the Muslim American community. Their basic argument is that Muslims who accept the Iftar invitation by the President or the Administration are “house muslims” who are somehow betraying the Muslim community. The intention of these activists is to shame and embarrass any Muslim who embraces Barack Obama. <\/p>\n

Ironically, they do this not because they are fundamentalist jihadist Muslims who see America as a great Satan; it is because they are fundamentalist left-wing Muslims who see America as a great Satan. The litany of major complaints is a familiar one: the drone war (which targets Muslims abroad), domestic spying on Muslims (which Obama had nothing to do with), and force-feeding of Muslim prisoners at Guantanamo Bay (which Obama did try to close but was stymied by Congress). They consider any outreach by Obama to the Muslim American community as hypocritical and self-serving appeasement, and blame Muslims who accept that outreach for essentially validating those policies and even perpetuating and being complicit in them. There is even a hashtag – #WhiteHouseIftar<\/a> – where these activists are making their case. <\/p>\n

Obviously, I am biased. Not only did I receive an invitation, but I also was the Editor of MuslimsForObama.com<\/a> and so these debates about whether Obama is anti-Muslim and whether he deserves any support from the Muslim community are not new. What is new, however, is the unseemly and hostile tone of these attacks on the President and fellow Muslims, especially during Ramadan. <\/p>\n

\n

prays for justice. While Obama dines with some Muslims at the #WhiteHouseIftar<\/a>, he is also murdering and torturing them elsewhere…<\/p>\n

— Zahra Billoo (@ZahraBilloo) July 24, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n