Washington, June 7: It came as a huge surprise to many as President Donald Trump announced that he would be hosting his first White House dinner for Islam's holy month of Ramadan on Wednesday. The reason why this news has surprised people in the Muslim community is because he skipped hosting such meals last year.

However, the Muslim community is not eager to attend the Iftar party as they believe that they are not respected, so there is no reason to 'first feed them and then stab'. Few other American Muslims believe that Trump's Iftar dinner is not a genuine move, but it is aimed at appeasing the country's allies overseas because the President had a troubled relationship.

White House is expected to release the names of the attendees ahead of the iftar dinner, but reportedly press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said "30 to 40" people had been invited to the iftar.

According to an Associated Press report, Iftar dinners were regularly held at the White House since the Clinton rule as a way to reach out to the Muslim world. Then President George Bush and President Barack Obama also took up the tradition, but last year, Trump broke it. Reportedly, 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."

Trump has made several hate speeches against the Muslim community, and therefore it will be interesting to see if his invitation gets accepted by community members.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 07, 2018 08:58 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).