White House hosts 'listening session' on anti-Muslim hatred and bigotry

Muslim representatives invited to The White House "listening session on Islamophobia" discussed a range of issues from "the unjust and unconstitutional" profiling of American Muslims to rising cases of violence and discrimination against the community.

On Tuesday, high-level officials from the Biden administration hosted an event, which took place one day after President Joe Biden celebrated Eid al Fitr with Muslim leaders.

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.

During the following listening session, CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert McCaw urged the Biden administration officials to revoke "the unjust and unconstitutional watchlist, which secretly subjects 1.5 million mostly Muslim individuals to government surveillance and scrutiny without notice or due process."

The US Secret Service's decision to "abruptly ban" America's longest-serving Muslim mayor from New Jersey from attending the White House Eid celebration "was just the latest example of how the watchlist harms innocent people", the CAIR representatives told Biden's aides.

"Welcome home"

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."

While hosting an Eid reception on Monday, Biden greeted those in attendance, saying, "Welcome home."

The White House "represents the incredibly diverse contributions that Muslims made to our nation as teachers, engineers, doctors, lawyers, business owners, congresswomen and congressmen," Biden said.

"Muslims have served very bravely in the US Armed Forces and law enforcement," he added.

Biden's Eid reception however received negative press after US Secret Service blocked Muslim Mayor Mohamed Khairullah of Prospect Park, New Jersey, from attending the White House celebration.

He later issued a statement saying the incident "reeks of Islamophobia by certain federal agencies."