President Obama visited a mosque in Baltimore today (the first mosque he’s visited in the USA during his presidency) to speak on the growing anti-Islamic rhetoric in the GOP.
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In Baltimore, Obama alluded to his own Christian faith – and also acknowledged that many Americans believe he’s actually a Muslim.
“This mosque, like so many across this country, is part of the American story”, Obama told those gathered.
What’s historic now is that anti-Muslim rhetoric has reached another new low, he said.
“Like all Americans, you’re anxious about the threat of terrorism”, said Obama.
“You fit in here”. “You’re right where you belong”.
He also noted that the mosque he visited was twice attacked, while Muslim children were bullied, and mosques were vandalised across America. Founded in 1969 by three doctors, the society now has about 3,000 congregants. This jab is likely at Trump, who says we need to ban Muslims from entering the country until we can get a better background checking system to ensure those entering our country are not terrorists.
We can not support such bigotry, the whole community can not be blamed for the acts of violence that were arranged by the few; he added.
“The very word Islam comes from “Salam” – peace”, he said.
There are Muslims in the American army, in the emergency services and in homeland security, he said.
“It’s just offensive to a lot of Americans who recognize that those kinds of cynical political tactics run directly contrary to the values…in this country”, said Earnest at Tuesday’s briefing.
“The notion that America is a war with Islam ignores the fact that the world’s religions are who we are”, Obama said. “We celebrate and lift up the success of Muslim-Americans”.
“I refuse to give them legitimacy”.
To do otherwise would be to “play into terrorist propaganda” he warned. He did say that “engaging with Muslim-American communities must never be a cover for surveillance”.
“When politicians insult Muslims, whether overseas or our fellow citizens, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid is called names, that doesn’t make us safer”.
“Thomas Jefferson’s opponents tried to stir things up by suggesting he was a Muslim”. “No, it’s true. Look it up”.
“So I was not the first”, Obama said to laughter.
Obama, who is a Christian, mocked Trump at the 2011 White House Correspondent’s Dinner, saying that Trump probably thinks the US government also faked the moon landing and rattled off other conspiracy theories. The meeting included Suzanne Barakat, the sister of a man killed in a North Carolina shooting previous year that many see as a hate crime.
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Obama’s speech picked up on these themes. The president spoke at the Islamic Society of Baltimore mosque.
