money 'They have been completely silent': NJ mayor gets no answer from White House over Eid snub
One week after he was turned away from an Eid celebration at the White House, Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah said he has still received no explanation or apology from the White House or the U.S. Secret Service for the last-minute snub.
Khairullah's disinvitation from the May 1 celebration for Eid al-Fitr, when he was just miles away from the event, triggered outrage and calls for an explanation from Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, and U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker.
"They have been completely silent," Khairullah said of administration officials on Monday. "There has been no communication whatsoever, which is disappointing."
Nearly 400 prominent Muslim leaders attended the holiday celebration with President Joe Biden. The Secret Service did not grant Khairullah security clearance to attend, he learned shortly before the event.
Khairullah, who has served as mayor for more than 17 years, believes his name is on a federal terror watchlist — which contains about 1.5 million names of people "reasonably suspected to be involved in terrorism (or related activities)," according to the FBI.
For subscribers: NJ Mayor Mohamed Khairullah blames terror watchlist after White House revokes invite
The list includes thousands of innocent Americans who may have been flagged because of whom they have encountered or know or where they have traveled, civil rights advocates say. An overwhelming majority of the names are Arabic or Muslim-sounding, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
CAIR's New Jersey chapter revealed that Khairullah's name and date of birth were on a leaked copy of the watchlist that they reviewed this year. As with others on the list, the FBI would not confirm he was named or give any reasons or means to challenge possible inclusion on the list.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also declined to address the controversy last week, telling reporters it was "under purview of Secret Service."
Assisted by CAIR-NJ, Khairullah said, he is considering legal options over the watchlist.
"There is a lack of due process," he said. "They accuse me of being dangerous. It affects my life, my children, my family, and it affects lives of millions of people who are on that list."
People on the watchlist have been prevented from traveling or have been detained, interrogated and searched at airports. Others have faced difficulties applying for immigration benefits, getting bail or getting government jobs or contracts, said CAIR, which has sued on behalf of hundreds of Americans over the watchlist.
Khairullah has called for the Biden administration to disband the list and said he would like to meet with White House officials to talk about its impact.
Last week, Pascrell, Booker and Menendez wrote a letter that called for an explanation and a review of Khairullah's status "so that in the future he may be able to attend events and represent his constituents at the People’s House."
"We know that the White House has received our letter and is reviewing it," Pascrell's office said in an email Monday. "And we’re hopeful we’ll get a follow-up from the administration soon."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ Muslim Mayor Mohamed Khairullah seeks answers from White House
