Obama to make first visit to USA mosque next week

Obama spokesman Josh Earnest says the leaders will discuss efforts to counter the Islamic State group and the global refugee crisis.

Obama is set to deliver a plan to Congress about closing the prison that includes measures to house a small number of detainees in facilities in the United States.

It would be the first visit to an American mosque during his presidency, according to reports.

“The President will travel to Maryland to visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore mosque to celebrate the contributions Muslim Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life”, a White House statement on Saturday said.

President Obama to meet, hold talks with Muslims in Baltimore President Obama will meet with Muslim community members this coming week in a public show of support.

Administration officials hope the visit will send a message at a time when Muslim leaders are increasingly anxious about reactions following the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino.

As the retreat wrapped up, Obama announced that his legislative affairs director for the last two years, Katie Fallon, would leave her post, as the White House eyes a less ambitious legislative agenda in the final year.

The visit comes at a time when American Muslims have reported a surge in inflammatory rhetoric, linked partly to comments from US Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, who has called for a temporary ban on allowing Muslims to enter the country.

It was not immediately clear why the White House chose the Islamic Society of Baltimore for the visit. On Wednesday, the president will visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore, one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s largest Muslim centers, which was confirmed by an announcement on their website.