White House set to scale down ceremony for end of Ramadan amid Arab-American anger over Joe Biden's support for Israel and fears of a boycott by prominent Muslims

The White House is preparing to host a much smaller ceremony for Ramadan amid Arab-American anger at Joe Biden and fears the event would be boycotted by prominent Muslims.

Traditionally, the president hosts hundreds of Muslim leaders from around the country for an Eid al-Fitr celebration, which marks the end of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Muslim calendar.

But the White House has discussed limiting invitations this year to a smaller group of administration officials and ambassadors from Muslim-majority nations, officials told Politico.

President Joe Biden at the 2023 Eid al-Fitr at the White House, marking the end of Ramadan

The administration has been struggling with ongoing frustration within Arab American and Muslim communities over President Biden's handling of the war in the Middle East. 

Outside the White House bubble, President Biden has been heckled repeatedly at various events by pro-Palestinian protesters who refer to him as 'Genocide Joe.' 

White House officials have held meetings with various Muslim groups to hear their concerns and that outreach will continue. 

'The White House is actively engaging with the community and we have been ... since October 7th,' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday.

But some Muslim leaders told the news outlet there was no appetite to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with the president.

'I'm not sure how they're going to be able to do this this year. A lot of people are just not going to go,' said a Muslim leader who has attended past Ramadan receptions hosted by Biden, adding that many would find it difficult to celebrate 'with the president they deem responsible, or partially responsible, for what's happening.'

Salam al-Marayati, the president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said there was 'no appetite' among the community to attend.

Biden has been targeted by protesters unhappy with his handling of the Israel-Hamas war 

Protesters in Los Angeles voice their anger at the administration's policies

The Biden administration faces growing pressure at home and abroad to do more to rein in Israel and to help the suffering Palestinian population.

The president has been a frequent target of demonstrators as demonstrators heckle him for standing with Israel and Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu as they pursue their war in Gaza after the October 7th terrorist attacks organized by Hamas.

The White House is trying to counter the protesters.

The president's campaign and security teams are making Biden's events smaller, keeping exact details from the media until the last minute, and avoiding college campuses, according to NBC News.

College students are among the most vocal protesters. 

Polls show young voters in particular are unhappy with President Biden's handling of the war. 

Amid the unhappiness, Biden and his advisers have made several trips to Michigan. That state is home to the largest Arab American population in the nation. 

But Biden was in Michigan on Thursday. And he didn't visit Dearborn, which has a high concentration of Palestinian voters, instead being further north in Saginaw.

Biden's team kept the location of his stop close as it tried to minimize the chances of protests.

There were still protests in Saginaw on Thursday.

Activists from the 'Abandon Biden' movement held a news conference in the town's center, urging Biden to support a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. He has called for a temporary one in order to get the hostages out and aid to starving Palestinians. 

President Joe Biden was in Michigan in Thursday but did not meet with any Muslim groups

Protesters lined the route for Biden's State of the Union address last month

Biden has another goal in Michigan: wooing his own Democrats. During the primary in that state, 13% voted 'uncommitted' instead of for the president, citing his handling of the war.

That added up to more than 100,000 voters across the state, raising concerns about Biden's general election prospects after he beat former President Donald Trump by 154,000 votes in Michigan in 2020. 

While Biden made several stops around Saginaw on Thursday, senior White House officials held private meetings with Arab American and Muslim community leaders in Chicago, which has a large Palestinian American population.

But more than 40 Muslim, Palestinian and Arab American leaders and groups there refused those meetings, citing the US's continued funding of Israel's war on Gaza. 

In a letter to the White House, the leaders said there was 'no point' in additional meetings when they had already made clear their demand for a permanent ceasefire. 

'We believe another meeting would only act to whitewash months of White House inaction followed by meek handouts. We are interested in serious action,' they wrote in the letter.