Half in United States think ‘some’ Muslims are anti-American
The visit, Obama’s first to a United States mosque, was aimed at showing Americans another side of Islam.
The president offered “two words that Muslim-Americans don’t hear often enough, and that is thank you”, saying they help unite the country in “one American family” and called them “resilient” and “patriotic”.
The president has accused prominent political figures of using fear to win support, and said those tactics are dividing the country and fueling propaganda by terror groups like Islamic State and al-Qaida.
Obama arrived at the Islamic Society of Baltimore on Wednesday. “Our television shows should have some Muslim characters that are unrelated to national security because it’s not that hard to do”, he said. He noted that founding father Thomas Jefferson specifically mentioned Muslims when he spoke about the American right to freedom of religion. “Right now, I don’t know if he’s – maybe he feels comfortable there”, Trump said.
Earnest highlighted that Obama has talked a lot about how important it is for the government to have an effective partnership with leaders in the Muslim community.
Mosques and Islamic centers have been the targets of vandalism, harassment and other anti-Muslim acts at least 63 times ın 2015, according to a study by the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “They are not defending Islam”.
They say that extremist violence in the the USA has led people to stereotype Muslims – to assign moderates to the same category as Islamic extremists in a way that has continually distorted perceptions about the community.
In a separate interview with Al Jazeera, Robert McCaw, a CAIR spokesperson, said that in 2015, the Muslim community saw “unprecedented number of attacks” on individuals and houses of worship.
“As we protect our country from terrorism, we should not reinforce the ideas and the rhetoric of terrorists themselves”, Obama said, adding that groups like Islamic State militant group are desperate for legitimacy.
What do you think about President Barack Obama’s visit to the American mosque?
“You’re part of America too”.
Obama’s visit to the Baltimore mosque was apparently in reaction to Trump, who has pledged to bar Muslims from entering the U.S. if elected president.
“It does upset me a little bit that it is his first time coming to visit a mosque, and there will be kids there who have grown up in this post 9/11 era and their faith is constantly linked to national security and extremism”. But Ben Carson, another Republican presidential candidate, said a Muslim should not be permitted to serve as president.