A Muslim mayor of a New Jersey city suggested he had been uninvited from the White House’s annual Eid al-Fitr celebration shortly before the event began on Monday evening.
According to NorthJersey.com, Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah was reportedly on his way to the White House when it was revealed that the Secret Service had denied him a security clearance.
Speaking to NorthJersey.com, an online publication that reports on what happens in New Jersey’s northern cities, Khairullah described the event as “shocking” and “disappointing,” suggesting he was dismayed that such occurrences were still taking place under the U.S. Constitution, which enshrined being innocent until proven guilty.
Khairullah shared being unsure about what his charge is that prompted such treatment.
The Secret Service confirmed that Khairullah was not allowed into the White House Eid Celebration that took place on Monday (May 1).
Communications director for the Secret Service, Anthony Guglielmi, shared an apology from the agency for any “inconvenience this may have caused” while confirming that the New Jersey mayor was not permitted to enter the White House complex.
The remarks came in a statement about the incident that did not provide specific details about the circumstances surrounding Khairullah being told he wouldn’t be allowed entry into Monday night’s event.
Guglielmi explained that he was unable to share more comments on the incident, suggesting he could not “comment further on the specific protective means and methods.”
The head of the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) criticized the withdrawal of Khairullah’s invitation as “unacceptable and insulting.”
