Some Say President Obama’s Mosque Visit Comes ‘Too Late’

President Obama spoke warmly about Islam during his speech at a mosque today, highlighting the contributions that Muslims had made to the fabric of American society. “I don’t know why he has not visited a mosque before”.

Many Muslim-Ameicans have complained of a fresh swell of antipathy and suspicon against them in the U.S., in particular since the mass shootings in Paris and a shooting rampage in San Bernardino, California, by a married couple who, authorities said, had been inspired by Isis and anti-American Jihad.

Trump asked for closure of U.S. borders to Muslims in December. Americans must speak up when any group is targeted, he added. “That’s how we show the lie that they’re trying to propagate”, he said.

He also drew a parallel between Muslim-Americans’ struggle for broad societal acceptance and that of African-Americans, noting that “there was a time when there were no black people on television”.

“We have a president who refuses to use the term”.

“It can’t just be the work of any one faith alone”, the president said.

“Groups like ISIL are desperate for legitimacy”, he said.

In an apparent reference to recent political rhetoric, he opposed the idea of religious profiling. You’re not Muslim or American.

“Muslim Americans keep up safe”.

Barack Obama visited the Islamic Society of Baltimore and assured security to Muslims amid growing anti-Muslim rhetoric in the U.S. poll campaign.

It was a powerful message to a nation scarred by horrific terror attacks in the past and torn over fears of radical violence in the future, the burden of which has been placed largely on the shoulders of the Muslim community. “We will rise and fall together”. This visit marks the first time Obama has visited a mosque since the beginning of his presidency, and it was a landmark event. Far too often people confuse the deeds of bombers with the beliefs of the entire religion, Obama complained.

“Recently we’ve heard inexcuseable political rhetoric against Muslim Americans. No surprise, then, that threats and harassment of Muslim-Americans have surged”, he said.

“We’ve seen children bullied, we’ve seen mosques vandalized”, he said.

“We’ve seen it before across faiths.”

In Baltimore, Obama alluded to his own Christian faith – and also acknowledged that many Americans believe he’s actually a Muslim.

“America and Islam are not exclusive”, he said, and share “common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings”.