The White House has defended Trump’s policies as necessary for national security.

Iftar dinners have been held regularly at the White House since the Clinton administration as a form of outreach to the Muslim world. Shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush hosted ambassadors and diplomats in celebration of Ramadan, declaring “evil has no holy days.” President Barack Obama took up the tradition, saying that discriminating against Muslim Americans “feeds the lie” that the West is at war with their religion.

Last year, Trump broke tradition. Instead of hosting a dinner, the White House issued a statement on the Islamic holiday that focused heavily on the threat of terrorism, noting that recent attacks “steel our resolve to defeat the terrorists and their perverted ideology.”
The White House struck a considerably warmer tone last month, when it released a statement from the president declaring “Ramadan Mubarak,” a common greeting in Islam for a blessed holiday. The statement praised the Constitution for ensuring Muslims can observe the holiday “unimpeded by government” and did not mention terrorism.

“Ramadan reminds us of the richness Muslims add to the religious tapestry of American life,” the statement said.

The current version of Trump’s travel ban applies to travellers from five countries with overwhelmingly Muslim populations — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. It also affects two non-Muslim countries, blocking travellers from North Korea and some Venezuelan government officials and their families.

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