Local Muslims react to President Obama’s visit, speech at Baltimore Mosque

Obama has called the comments a betrayal of American values, and said discrimination against Muslims “plays into the hands” of extremist groups like Islamic State.

President Barack Obama made his first visit to a United States mosque on Wednesday, in an effort to allay the fears of Americans accustomed to pop-culture portrayals of Muslims as terrorists, and to reassure Muslim American youth about their place in the nation.

Obama urged young Muslims not to embrace a worldview that required them to choose between faith and patriotism. “Many Americans hear of Islam only in connection with terror”, Obama said in the city of Baltimore.

Muslims, who are estimated to make up almost 1 percent of the US population, have faced increasing discrimination and hostility in the wake of deadly attacks in San Bernardino, Calif., and Paris linked to the self-declared Islamic State, Muslims and others say.

“Thank you for serving your community”, Obama said.

A report by the group warned that “levels of anti-Muslim sentiment follow trends in domestic U.S. politics”, highlighting Mr Trump’s call for a ban on Muslims entering the country. “Muslim Americans are some of the most resilient and patriotic Americans you’ll ever meet”, he said.

“And of course recently we’ve heard inexcusable political rhetoric against Muslim Americans that has no place in our country”.

Obama will also be sending a signal to the world, which has been watching the campaign closely, that the USA has not abandoned its commitment to religious pluralism, Ahmed said.

“An attack on one faith is an attack on all our faiths”, Obama said as he mentioned the recent attacks against the Muslim community and also cited assaults on Sikh Americans who look like them.

“You’re part of America too”. Before the address on Wednesday afternoon, the president held a closed-door roundtable with 12 Muslim-American leaders including activists, students and scholars.

In a landscape where the majority of small-screen Muslim roles show up with insurgent motivations opposite the likes of Jack Bauer or Carrie Mathison, POTUS’s statements come at an important time.

“Islam has always been part of America”, he said, detailing the beginnings of the religion among African slaves brought to America.

“I’m going to search for that clip and I’m going to show it over and over to my children who ask me ‘Are we not welcome here anymore?’ ‘Are we second class citizens?'” said Elfass.