Barack Obama is to visit a US mosque for the first time as American president, the White House has revealed, APA reports quoting Anadolu agency.
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The White House says Obama plans to visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore on Wednesday and hold talks with Muslim community members.
US President Barack Obama will host his Italian and Colombian counterparts next month, the White House said on Friday.
Obama will “celebrate the contributions Muslim-Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life”, the official said.
The meeting comes one week before Obama delivers his budget proposal to Congress, outlining cost estimates for items he would like to accomplish during his final year in office.
Administration officials hope the visit will send a message at a time when Muslim leaders are increasingly anxious about reactions after the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. Several crimes directed at Muslims have received national attention since the attacks.
The visit appears to be part of the president’s efforts to push back against what he sees as inflammatory rhetoric about Muslims coming from Republican presidential candidates – most notably Donald Trump, who has called for a temporary ban on allowing Muslims to enter the country.
Although Obama has not visited a mosque in the United States since assuming the presidency in 2009, he did tour the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2010, the Baltimore Sun website noted.
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A spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights organization, welcomed Obama’s decision. It has grown to include a school, a nursery and a health clinic.
