David Cameron has been accused of being "out of touch" and "insensitive" for inviting Muslims to a drinks reception at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday evening, when many of them are abstaining from food and drink for Eid.
In an email to the prime minister responding to her invitation to the event, Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, said the timing of the reception – on what she called "Eid Eve" – showed that he was "failing to grasp the very basic aspects of Muslim cultural life".
Muslims celebrate Eid at least twice a year – once after Ramadan, when Muslims fast from around dawn to sunset for one lunar month, and another on the 10th day of Zilhajj, the month in the Islamic calendar when many Muslims go to Makkah, in Saudi Arabia, to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.
Downing Street typically hosts a reception for British Muslims on both these occasions – but this time the event is being held the day before Eid and on a day when many Muslims choose to fast.
A spokesperson for Downing Street said none of the other invited guests had complained and most said they would be attending.
In a video message, the prime minister said Muslims are expected to "come together with loved ones this Eid, to pray, reflect, to feast and exchange gifts."
Those invited to the reception received an email like this from the prime minister's office. Shah passed on her invitation to BuzzFeed News. This is what it looked like:
In her email, Shah said she welcomed the prime minister's commitment to engage with the Muslim community but said the date of the event "demonstrated how out of touch you really are".
Shah also pointed out that Downing Street got her name wrong on the invite – Nazir is in fact a male name.
Shah told BuzzFeed News that the language Cameron used in a speech in Birmingham in July had suggested a welcome shift from the past.
The PM said then: "I know what a profound contribution Muslims from all backgrounds and denominations are making in every sphere of our society, proud to be both British and Muslim, without conflict or contradiction." He added that the government would work with Muslims to tackle extremism.
But Shah said the timing of the Eid event, which she compared to hosting a Christmas party on Christmas Eve, had undermined this impression for her. "It [the speech] was just a paper exercise," she said.