After Last Year’s Snub, Donald Trump to Hold Iftar at White House
Trump has had a strained relationship with Muslims, for he issued terse remarks during the run-up to 2016 elections
United States President Donald Trump will host guests this year at an "Iftar", a post-sundown meal, to mark the holy month of Ramadan during which Muslims across the world observe fast from sunrise to sunset.
Trump had, last year, ignored this century-old tradition at the White House that Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, is believed to have started in 1805.
Though the Iftar will be hosted on Wednesday, the list of guests was not available, The New York Times reported.
Trump has had a strained relationship with Muslims, for the now-President issued terse statements during the run-up to the 2016 elections as a candidate.
In a 2016 interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Trump, the then Republican candidate, had claimed that "Islam hates us".
The President had also signed an executive order, banning citizens from several Muslim countries entering the United States. The move had drawn severe flak from all quarters with activist groups and civilians taking to the streets alike.
A year later, however, The White House, in a communique, extending wishes to Muslims at the beginning of the month, said: "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."
(With inputs from The New York Times.)
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