What do you think about President Barack Obama’s visit to the American mosque?
Advertisement
He continued by noting that Thomas Jefferson believed religious freedom created a strong civil society, but added another note about the former president: “Thomas Jefferson’s opponents tried to stir things up by suggesting he was a Muslim”.
Obama was introduced by Sabah Muktar, a University of Maryland, Baltimore County student who thanked him for using his visit to assure Muslim Americans that they should not feel threatened. “I don’t know”, Trump said in 2011 on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor”.
Obama’s visit comes at time when anti-Muslim sentiment is on the rise.
Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, called for a ban on Muslims entering the USA after the recent mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, where 14 people were killed in an attack by a Muslim couple that was allegedly inspired by the Islamic State (IS). He will also not run for re-election, having filled the U.S.’s two-term presidential limit next year, and will not have to worry about any electoral blowback from the visit.
Muslim community leaders have repeatedly encouraged the president to visit a mosque and speak out against the stigmatization of Muslims in the country. The president pledged to play a greater role in sharing the positive and uplifting stories of Muslim Americans. He then addressed the country, talking about fears held by Muslim Americans.
The president continued by celebrating the achievements and contributions of Muslim Americans and highlighting the history of Islam and Muslims in the United States. “You’re Muslim and American”. “Sikh-Americans and others who are perceived to be Muslims have been targeted as well”, Obama said. Same goes for adults (or else we get, say, any of the Republican candidates).
“Obviously, we wouldn’t want people to take away from that a wrong impression about who we are as America, because it doesn’t represent American values”, Kirby said.
Harsh anti-Muslim rhetoric has been part of political campaigns for months, they said, and it was time for the president to make a stand.
Advertisement
He spoke Wednesday at the Islamic Society of Baltimore where he shined a light on efforts to confront religious intolerance.
