Obama to visit Baltimore mosque, plead for tolerance
- 8 years ago
President Barack Obama plans to visit a mosque near Baltimore on Wednesday to make a plea for tolerance and religious freedom, the White House said Sunday.
It will be Obama's first visit as president to an American mosque though he visited a Jakarta mosque during a 2010 visit and comes at a time when American Muslims have reported a surge of anti-Muslim sentiment, linked partly to comments from Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.
The official said Obama would meet with community members and then deliver remarks emphasizing "the importance of staying true to our core values welcoming our fellow Americans, speaking out against bigotry, rejecting indifference and protecting our nation's tradition of religious freedom."
It will be Obama's first visit as president to an American mosque though he visited a Jakarta mosque during a 2010 visit and comes at a time when American Muslims have reported a surge of anti-Muslim sentiment, linked partly to comments from Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.
The official said Obama would meet with community members and then deliver remarks emphasizing "the importance of staying true to our core values welcoming our fellow Americans, speaking out against bigotry, rejecting indifference and protecting our nation's tradition of religious freedom."