A senior United States official had just declined to host an event to host the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, putting an end to a tradition done for two decades.
According to reports from Breitbart.com, Tillerson had rejected a recommendation from the State Department’s Office of Religion and Global Affairs that he host a reception marking Eid-al-Fitr.
However, a representative for the State Department said that they are still considering options to celebrate the Islamic holy month.
“We are still exploring possible options for the observance of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the month of Ramadan. U.S. ambassadors are encouraged to celebrate Ramadan through a variety of activities, which are held annually at missions around the world,” the spokesperson said.
On Friday, Tillerson issued a statement describing Ramadan as “a month of reverence, generosity, and self-reflection.”
“Most importantly, it is a cherished time for family and friends to gather and give charity to those who are less fortunate,” Tillerson said.
A spokeswoman for the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Washington, Rabiah Ahmed, whose department was normally invited to the event, said they had received no invitation from the State Department to any events marking Ramadan.
“If they’re having one, we haven’t been invited,” Ahmed said.
Tillerson’s decision could reaffirm the new-found hostility towards Islam from the White House, amid a tougher approach towards radicalization and terrorism under the Trump administration.
However, this may only be a fallout result of Tillerson’s streamlining of the agency which includes massive budget cuts and shedding as many of 2,000 jobs, with speculations surrounding the slashing down of personnel pertaining to the religious office, CNN reports.
The tradition of hosting a Ramadan event was initiated by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright under Bill Clinton and has been repeated yearly by every administration since.
The department also marks the Hindu festival of Diwali, while the White House hosts events at Christmas and Easter as well as during the Jewish holiday of Passover.