Mr. Obama has appeared at mosques elsewhere and has made similar remarks on other occasions, but this was his first visit to an American mosque, a setting Dr. Sherif Elfass, President of the Northern Nevada Muslim Community, says had special impact.
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Not only was President Barack Obama’s visit to the Islamic Center of Baltimore on Wednesday controversial for the mosque’s ties to religious extremism, he opened his address with a greeting that rubbed many viewers the wrong way.
He lauded Muslim-Americans who were sports heroes, entrepreneurs and the architect behind the skyscrapers of Chicago. “Sikh Americans and others who are perceived to be Muslims have been targeted, as well”. The White House said he will focus on the need to speak out against bigotry and reject indifference.
It was a powerful message to a nation scarred by horrific terror attacks in the past and torn over fears of radical violence in the future, the burden of which has been placed largely on the shoulders of the Muslim community.
The president said many Americans do not know a Muslim person and form a “hugely distorted impression” based on TV, film and negative news reports.
Muslim-American groups have warned of growing antagonism that has followed recent attacks in Paris and California by those purporting to act in the name of Islam. “It’s no surprise than that threats against Muslims have surged”. Trump had recently called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States.
“We can’t give in to profiling entire groups of people because there is no single profile of a terrorist”. And at one point, he spoke directly to young people, affirming to them that “you are not Muslim or American, you are Muslim and American”. “The first thing I want to say is two words that Muslim-Americans don’t hear often enough and that is thank you”.
The American president had previously visited mosques overseas, but had not done so at home during his seven years in office, highlighting the political importance of this visit.
He also lauded the Muslim leaders for “consistently condemning terrorism” and said that their ideas should be “amplified” more across the globe.
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He said: “So I was not the first”.
