White House hosts listening session on Islamophobia

WASHINGTON

The White House held a listening session Wednesday on Islamophobia, during which high-level Biden administration officials met with leaders from the American Muslim community.

The event followed a White House reception Monday hosted by President Joe Biden for Eid al-Fitr, a celebration marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan

Among the US officials at the listening session were Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, White House Domestic Policy Advisor Ambassador Susan Rice, Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Joshua Geltzer, US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain, and Office of Public Engagement Director Stephen Benjamin, according to a statement by the White House.

Representatives of the American Muslim community that took part included Imam Mohamed Magid, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Government Affairs Department Director Robert McCaw and Shia Muslim Foundation President Rahat Husain.

"During the convening, Muslim leaders outlined the challenges facing their communities and shared recommendations for confronting Islamophobia and all forms of hate and bigotry," said the White House.

"Biden-Harris administration officials conveyed their gratitude to the participants for their leadership and underscored the President’s commitment to countering Islamophobia," it added.

The White House said the session was a "part of the ongoing efforts of the President’s interagency task force to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia and related forms of bias and discrimination within the United States."

Biden on Monday evening hosted a reception for Eid al-Fitr at the White House, during which he greeted those in attendance, saying "Welcome home."

“Thank all of you for joining us at the White House. It is the people’s house for real. It is your house. It represents the incredibly diverse contributions that Muslims made to our nation as teachers, engineers, doctors, lawyers, business owners, congresswomen and congressmen. Muslims have served very bravely in the US Armed Forces and law enforcement," he said.

Muslim Mayor Mohamed Khairullah of Prospect Park, New Jersey was blocked by the US Secret Service from attending the White House celebration. He later issued a statement saying the incident "reeks of Islamophobia by certain federal agencies."