Who is Rupi Kaur and why did she turn down the White House Diwali invitation?

Rupi Kaur, a Canadian poet, has snubbed an invitation to the White House‘s Diwali event. In a social media posting, she stated that she declined the invitation from the US government due to their response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The poet also asked fellow South Asians to hold the US administration accountable. Rupi Kaur is a poet, author, and illustrator based in Toronto. Her first book, Milk And Honey, a collection of heartfelt poems and prose, was published in 2014 and sold over a million copies before reaching number one on the New York Times bestsellers list. Her art concerns love, loss, trauma, healing, femininity, and migration. The poet has nearly four million Instagram followers.

She was once regarded as an “Instapoet,” as she rose to prominence after amassing a large social media following. Kaur rose to prominence after Instagram erased a self-portrait of her lying on a bed with blood stains from her menstruation. She took a position against Instagram, pointing out the hypocrisy of a site that permitted sexual photographs of women yet limited what it meant to be a typical female experience. Kaur declined the White House’s invitation to a Diwali ceremony because she refuses “any invitation from an institution that supports collective punishment” of civilians. The event is scheduled for November 8 and will be hosted by US Vice President Kamala Harris.

Rupi Kaur accused the US government of justifying “genocide against Palestinians”

Kaur also accused the US government of justifying “genocide against Palestinians”. In a post on social media, she said, “I received an invite from the Biden administration for a Diwali event being held by the VP on November 8. I decline any invitation from an institution that supports the collective punishment of a trapped civilian population—50% of whom are children,” she wrote. The poet added, “Today, the American government is not only funding the bombardment of Gaza; they continue to justify this genocide against Palestinians, regardless of how many refugee camps, health facilities, and places of worship are blown to bits. They reject the call for a humanitarian ceasefire baseline action being demanded by the United Nations, organizations like Doctors Without Borders, the Red Cross, and most countries. Over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed. The UN says 70% of the dead are women and children. We have seen Israel use white phosphorus bombs, which Amnesty International says must be investigated as a war crime.”

Several South Asian personalities supported Kaur and stated that they would also skip the event. Actor Richa Moorjani from Netflix’s ‘Never Have I Ever’ said she would boycott the celebration at the White House. “I stand tall, boycotting White House Diwali with you,” she added. Content creator Payal said that she had been waiting for an invitation since last year’s event; however, she would decline hers. “I cannot, in good faith attend. I cannot support this administration,” she said. “I cannot allow the darkness of their actions to be glazed over by beautiful glitzy outfits and photo ops…all to make them appear inclusive.”

The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 10,000, largely civilians

On October 7, the Israel-Hamas conflict began. According to Israeli authorities, over 1,400 people have died and 240 are being held captive in Gaza. The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 10,000, largely civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the war-torn coastal strip was turning into a “graveyard for children.” According to Israeli sources, Israel has sworn to eradicate the Islamist operatives responsible for the extraordinary strike that killed entire families inside their houses and young people at a music festival. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would consider “tactical little pauses” in the Gaza conflict to allow aid or captives to leave, but he rejected requests for a total ceasefire.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call on Monday that a three-day fighting pause could help secure the release of some hostages. In a statement on Monday, the White House said Biden and Netanyahu discussed “the possibility of tactical pauses to provide civilians with opportunities to safely depart from areas of ongoing fighting, to ensure assistance is reaching civilians in need, and to enable potential hostage releases.”