President Barack Obama visits mosque for first time in United States

He cited Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s call for a ban on Muslims entering the country as an example of how bias toward Muslims has become part of the American mainstream.

Obama’s visit to a Baltimore mosque Wednesday was his first visit to a mosque during his presidency, and he took the time to chide the “inexcusable” anti-Islamic rhetoric that’s boiled up recently.

Mr Obama noted that during the current presidential campaign politicians were using “inexcusable political rhetoric against Muslims” that has no place in the American society.

“And by the way, the notion that America’s at war with Islam ignores the fact that the world’s religions are a part of who we are”.

Fear of terrorist attacks on American soil has risen after attacks in San Bernardino, California, and Paris.

The Islamic Society of Baltimore, a 46-year-old mosque and Quran school in suburban Catonsville, said the president’s visit “occurs amidst increased bigoted rhetoric and violence against Muslim, Arab, and South Asian Americans”.

Barack Hussein Obama has had a complicated relationship with Muslims.

While President Obama has visited several mosques overseas during his presidency, this was the first time he ever spoke in one at home.

In a 2011 survey, Pew found that 48 percent of Americans said that relations between Muslims and Westerners were bad. “It’s no surprise then that threats and harassment of Muslim Americans have surged”.

And the president sought to show the ties between Islam and America.

Turning to extremist groups such as Islamic State and what he characterized as perverted versions of Islam portrayed by them, Obama urged regular Muslims to “show who you are”. The oldest surviving mosque in the US, he said, is in Iowa. He said those who demonize all Muslims for the acts of a few are playing into terrorists’ hands.

“Muslim Americans keep up safe”, Obama said.

“We’ve seen children bullied, we’ve seen mosques vandalized”, Obama said. We’re one American family. On Thursday, the president will address the National Prayer Breakfast, whose attendees are mostly Christian – although members of other faiths do attend. President George W. Bush did so days after the Sept 11, 2001, terror attacks to reassure American Muslims.

“He gave a speech at a mosque… basically implying that America is discriminating against Muslims”.