Poet Rejects White House Invite Over Biden's Support for Israel

Bestselling poet Rupi Kaur publicly declined an invitation from President Joe Biden's administration to attend a Diwali event at the White House later this week.

On Monday, Kaur shared news of the event and also said she denied the invitation, citing the United States' support of Israel as reason why. Kaur is a poet who self-published the poetry collection milk and honey in 2014 before her next two collections—the sun and her flowers and homebody in 2017 and 2020 respectively—published as instant global bestsellers. Kaur's milk and honey collection has since surpassed Homer's Odyssey as the best-selling poetry of all time, according to Kaur's website. Kaur's fourth book, a collection of guided writing exercises titled Healing Through Words, published in 2022.

Kaur is now using her platform to voice her outrage at the U.S.'s involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza.

The Gaza Health Ministry says that over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict as of Monday, according to the Associated Press. Israeli officials report that over 1,400 people were killed in Israel, mainly during the initial surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, the AP said.

On October 30, a report by the United Nations said that 70 percent of those killed in Gaza were women and children.

Israel has come under increasing international pressure to enact a ceasefire or a humanitarian pause since launching a ground assault on Gaza, with countless groups holding protests in support of either Israel or Palestine across the globe. Celebrities have also joined the fray, voicing their support for either Israel or Palestine and urging the Biden administration to act accordingly.

Last year, the Biden administration hosted the largest Diwali celebration ever held at the White House. Vice President Kamala Harris is reportedly holding a similar event on Wednesday this week, to which Kaur declined the invitation.

"I received an invite from the Biden administration for a Diwali event being held by the VP on nov 8. I decline any invitation from an institution that supports the collective punishment of a trapped civilian population—50% of whom are children," Kaur posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday afternoon.

Kaur attached a longer statement to the post further detailing the reasons why she refused to participate in the event.

Newsweek reached out to Kaur and the White House by email for comment.

Diwali, also known as the festival of light, is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. It dates back more than 2,000 years and is usually celebrated over five days.

Kaur also questioned why the Biden administration was celebrating the holiday given the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"I'm surprised this administration finds it acceptable to celebrate Diwali, when their support of the current atrocities against Palestinians represent the exact opposite of what this holiday means to many of us," Kaur wrote in the statement. "Diwali is celebrated by people of South Asian heritage worldwide. In the Hindu & Jain traditions, Diwali is the celebration of righteousness over falsehood and knowledge over ignorance."

Kaur went on to explain the history behind Diwali, in which Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji "helped free 52 fellow political prisoners from unjust imprisonment."

"Today, the American government is not only funding the bombardment of Gaza, they continue to justify this genocide against Palestinians...As a Sikh woman, I will not allow my likeness to be used in whitewashing this administration's actions," Kaur wrote.

"When a government's actions dehumanize people anywhere in the world, it is our moral imperative to call for justice," Kaur continued. "Do not be afraid. Stand with the world and demand a humanitarian ceasefire."

Kaur ended her letter by urging her colleagues and followers to sign a petition, protest, boycott and call members of Congress to request a ceasefire.

As of 3:15 p.m. Eastern time, Kaur's post had been viewed more than 758,000 times.

Many of the responses voiced an outpouring of support for Kaur's decisions, and some people have questioned which attendees would still participate in the Diwali event given the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Pay attention to which South Asian influencers attend the White House Diwali event, and then immediately stop consuming their content. They should ALL be following Rupi's lead," one user posted.

"This should be the response of every South Asian invited to the White House for Diwali," another user posted while resharing Kaur's statement.

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