Why It Matters That Obama Is Finally Visiting An American Mosque

[kpete]

On Wednesday, President Obama will make his first visit to an American mosque since he assumed the nation’s highest office. The visit to a mosque in Baltimore next week is a part of the administration’s effort to address mounting hate crimes against Muslims and vitriolic anti-Muslim rhetoric from top political contenders.

Obama will visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore, located in Catonsville, Maryland, to “celebrate the contributions Muslim Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life,” according to a White House statement. The statement did not specify why that particular mosque was selected.

The president has visited mosques around the world, and made his first visit to a synogogue in May.
Citing what they believe to be an alarming increase in the level of Islamophobia in the U.S., however, Muslim leaders have been increasingly vocal in calling on Obama to visit an American mosque.

“For a number of years we’ve been encouraging the president to go to an American mosque,” Council on American Islamic Relations spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said. “With the tremendous rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in our country, we believe that it will send a message of inclusion and mutual respect.”



http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/01/31/3744703/obama-mosque-visit/

[pampango]

1. "Several Republican candidates called for a halt of Muslim immigration to the U.S. and increased

surveillance of Muslims in America. Republican front-runner Donald Trump was the first to make such appeals, followed closely by many presidential hopefuls. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and former Florda Gov. Jeb Bush suggested that only Christian asylum seekers should be allowed to settle in the U.S.

Two-thirds of Republican voters polled and nearly half of all American voters said that they would favor a temporary ban on Muslim immigration to the U.S.

During his State of the Union address this month, he seemed to directly call out figures like Trump by declaring, “When politicians insult Muslims, whether abroad or our fellow citizens, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid bullied, that doesn’t make us safer. That’s not telling it like it is. It’s just wrong.”

But with even President Obama waiting until his last year in office to visit an American mosque, that level of acceptance seems to signal a very different era when it comes to acceptance for Muslim Americans. "

Let republicans continue with their rants about "See. Obama is a Muslim". Multiculturalism works if you take off your blinders - something republicans seem to refuse to do.

[Blue_Tires]

2. k+r

[kentuck]

3. A whole slew of conspiracy theories are in the oven...

...baking.

[malaise]

4. You mean that Muslim Socialist Communist from Kenya

has attended his own religious institution

GObama!

[Bad Dog]

5. Pretty disgusting it's taken this long.

This is Conservative prime minister David Cameron visiting a Mosque back in 2013.

?itok=IjWIbLn-

[Hekate]

8. No good deed goes unpunished, in some people's eyes.

[Bad Dog]

12. A good deed?

Hardly, waiting until the dog end of his presidency before visiting a Mosque. Sounds like he's just ticking the boxes. Even our Conservative pm got off his arse long before that.

The fact that it's such a big deal kind of makes Al Qaida's point for them.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

29. "The fact that it's such a big deal kind of makes Al Qaida's point for them"

Give me a fucking break.

I thought Al Qaida weren't "true Muslims" and all that.

More performance art.

[lark]

6. It's actually way past time for him to do this.

Glad he made this important symbolic visit.

[KamaAina]

7. Of course the president has visited mosques around the world

everyone knows he's a secret Muslin!

[hopemountain]

14. he has a secret mosque in the white house

[KamaAina]

15. I hear he converted the bowling alley

[Hekate]

9. KnR

[MariaThinks]

10. anti-muslim sentiment is caused by finding out about daily attacks against innocent people

by islamists who wow to continue attacking until people convert to islam

[Bad Dog]

16. It goes back long before that.

America has long financed the persecution of the Palestinian people, propped up dictatorships and used coups to topple democratically elected Moslem governments.

[MariaThinks]

19. America has propped up pakistan since the 70s. Blaming us for the violence

being perpetuated by muslims around the world would be like us hating Germany because of world war II.

[Bad Dog]

22. Most of the time a military regime.

And it's because of fear of China's influence, not any love of Moslems.

I'm not blaming Americans for violence perpetrated by Moslems, you're violent enough on your own, Vietnam, Chile, Honduras, Iraq, Palestine, San Salvador, Laos, Cambodia etc etc.

It's a long and bloody list.

[MariaThinks]

31. China and Pakistan are best friends. China is arming it, along with us.

those weapons are funneled into extremist muslim hands and then used against democratic countries.

[Bad Dog]

32. That's what happens when you interfere in other country's politics/development.

When you stomp down on moderate opposition to American imperialism, don't be surprised that the only opposition remaining is fundamentalist Islam.

Iran is a case in point, you overthrow a democratically elected government, install a dictator then scratch your heads when the Islamic Revolution sweeps the Ayatollah to power. And it's taken thirty odd years to reach some form of compromise.

[MariaThinks]

34. what do you think pakistan is doing by sponsoring terrorism networks and training camps

that attack India?

direct question.

[Bad Dog]

35. You don't need to tell me that a question mark indicates a question.

We tend to learn that in schools over here. The struggle between India and Pakistan has been going on ever since the end of the Raj, if not before. It's all about influence in the region especially Kashmir.

What do you think America was doing in sponsoring Terrorist groups in Nicaragua?

What about America's attempted coups in Venezuela under Bush and Honduras under Obama? How does that square with your championing of democracy?

[MariaThinks]

36. apparently you did not answer my question. We are also arming Pakistan.

[Bad Dog]

37. I did, but you didn't answer mine.

[MariaThinks]

38. i don't see your answer

no matter, I know you don't have one

[Bad Dog]

45. Admittedly it's not an answer that would satisfy an Islamophobe.

There's nothing particularly Islamic about funding irregulars to fight a proxy war against your opponents. America did it with the Contras, (and with Al Qaida!) Israel in Lebanon and Putin is doing it right now in Ukraine. The differences between Moslems and Hindus in the Indian sub continent goes back centuries. There's some pretty nasty Hindu nationalists in India. The current prime minister doesn't exactly have clean hands.

This was perhaps just a year before 2002. In an episode of the Big Fight on NDTV, there was a debate on terrorism in India. Part of that debate was a BJP General Secretary. The first time ever I heard an abhorring line in national discourse was espoused by this gentleman on this debate. He said, ‘while I agree not all Muslims are terrorists but why are all terrorists Muslims’. This line was so repulsive it got the better of my patience while watching that debate. And the man who espoused this thought was none other than Narendra Modi, Prime Minister elect in 2014. Indeed, this line has since been quoted by many right wing leaders to paint the entire Muslims community as that ’other’ of India, most recently by Giriraj Singh of Bihar, now himself a Member of Parliament.

That man of course, on that debate, went on to become the CM of Gujarat and presided over one of the worst communal riots in independent India which followed the Godhra incident. In the elections that followed soon after, the CM did nothing to end the polarization. Instead, with his choicest jibes, succeeded in deepening the divide. Sample this – Hum Paanch hamare Pachees. Post those elections an emboldened Narendra Modi, now the hero of Hindus, set on the task of unleashing terror on the minorities through a series of fake encounters. Each encounter involved Muslims that were targeted as Muslim terrorists out to kill him. Each encounter adding to his stature of a brave Hindu leader, the ‘Loh purush’ whom the jihadists were out to kill. In the elections that followed and when accusations were rife of extra-judicial killings, the man of ‘words’ was at it again, ‘aatankwadiyon ke saath kaarravayi na Karen to kya karna chahiye’

http://www.dnaindia.com/blogs/post-mr-narendra-modi-you-are-not-my-prime-minister-1991173

What you're doing is taking one country's actions and extrapolating them out of all proportion to denigrate a whole group of people. It's incredibly simplistic and just panders to bigots who want to blame everyone else for their own shortcomings.

[MariaThinks]

46. putting words in my mouth?

if you can't address real concerns from radicalism islam just call someone islamophobic.

[Bad Dog]

47. I've not put any words in your mouth.

I said my answer would not satisfy an Islamophobe. I never said you were one. You did that all by yourself.

[MariaThinks]

49. you're so clever aren't you.

to be honest, I'm not reading beyond the first line you write. there's nothing there of substance or importance.

[Bad Dog]

50. I can live with being insulted by an oxymoron.

[Dont call me Shirley]

11. About time. Now maybe he will put on those comfortable walking shoes!

[Gore1FL]

13. He's just now going?

Man! He is as bad at being a Muslim as he is at being a socialist and being a gun grabber.

[montana_hazeleyes]

17. No matter what President Obama does,

there are those who will take the opportunity to somehow make a negative out of it.

He has had more crap thrown at him than I've ever seen and still shows grace and dignity.

[Bad Dog]

18. He should have visited a Mosque within the first year of taking office.

He didn't.

[leftynyc]

20. Why?

I can think of no reasons he should have had to visit any religious institution at all ever during his Presidency. Why a mosque?

[Bad Dog]

21. To combat the rampant Islamophobia prevelant in America.

He went to plenty of churches. He's supposed to be the president of all Americans, not just the Christian ones. Even Cameron visited a Mosque far sooner than Obama.

[snooper2]

23. I don't think rampant means what you think it means

[Bad Dog]

24. It does.

Just read some of the things posted about Moslems on this website. The Islamist terrorism is carried out by about 0.01% of the faith and you lot seem determined to piss off the other 99.99%.

This side of the pond we have to deal with the consequences of your actions.

[snooper2]

25. Sweet, do a search using, snooper2 & fundies , maybe you'll learn!

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

28. Do you really think that would change anyone's mind???

Fucking George Bush, hero of the right got up and said Islam was a religion of peace.

[Bad Dog]

30. Only because he needed support of the Gulf states in his illegal war.

America has two naval bases in Bahrain. At the moment the Bahrainis are more concerned with Iran, as long as that continues you'll keep them. Carry on the way you're going and you'll unite a whole bloody religion against you.

Try integrating them into the community, it's a lot more productive.

[Angel Martin]

41. why a Mosque ?

because Obama wants to show that gender segregation and "separate but equal" can be acceptable in some cases ?

http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/02/03/obamas-mosque-visit-demonstrates-tacit-acceptance-of-a-form-of-gender-apartheid/

[Bad Dog]

44. Gender apartheid?

You're having a laugh. It's not Saudi Arabia. I have Moslem families living near me. I'm on first name terms with one of the women. We've had a lot of problems with an out of control dog owned by a Polish family. We've exchanged texts and emails and spent a long time chatting together about what action to take re the dog. I don't even know her husband's name.

So much for timid Moslem women not being allowed to talk to other men.

[Bad Dog]

42. I have answered this already.

Because the Moslem population is facing tremendous prejudice. It's one thing to say the president shouldn't have to visit any religious institution, but that doesn't quite work when they're always visiting churches.

[MariaThinks]

39. why should he have?

[MariaThinks]

40. Has Obama visited the Church of Scientology?

[Bad Dog]

43. Are scientologists facing prejudice?

Tom Cruise seems to have no problems making movies.

[MariaThinks]

48. i don't think two or three stars represent the religion. islam is not facing prejudice

[Bad Dog]

51. You're just plain wrong.

If Moslems weren't facing prejudice Trump wouldn't be making such headway with talk of banning them.

[MariaThinks]

53. A muslim father 2 years ago strangled his daughter to death because she didn't want to wear a hijab

her brother picked her up from school and brought her to her father for the lesson.

the father became a local celebrity because local muslim's held him up as someone who was trying to do the right thing and was in a difficult situation in dealing with a daughter. This happened in North America.

Wasn't the muslim couple welcomed by our society with open arms and even given a baby shower? Then they chose a Christmas party to shoot the people who welcomed them?

Anyone who does not write about these tragedies or comment on them is anti-innocents.

I'm sure you'll look for a couple of typos.

[Bad Dog]

54. Anyone who deliberately singles out negative stories about

a single group, and ignores anything positive is a bigot. And a rather simplistic, simple minded, semi literate bigot to boot. I could find similar horror stories about Hindus, Christians, Jews, Atheists or any other group.

You're just trying to justify your own bigotry. Fascists do it all the time. Himmler once gave a speech to his SS Death Squads saying how they'd managed to remain decent, and he really believed it. Nobody likes to think they're the bad guys, even the really bad ones. You're full of hate and fear.

[MariaThinks]

55. anyone who doesn't have an argument always goes back to hitler, fascism, and wwii

You don't want to know facts. It's not bigotry if its true.

it's not even true to compare fascism to bigotry. They are the mutually dependent.

I'm not going to bother responding to someone like you anymore.

Here are sme splling mistakes to keip you occupieed

[Bad Dog]

56. I've pointed out exactly what you're doing.

Of course it's bigotry regardless of whether it's true or not. It's one sided, all the negative, none of the positive, and absolutely no understanding of how things work. My comparisons are apt. You're a bigot, you just haven't got the guts to admit it.

[mwrguy]

26. Good for Obama!

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

27. I look forward to the day an American president is able to avoid all religious buildings. n/m

[pampango]

33. Obama to rebut GOP Muslim rhetoric in first U.S. mosque visit

Seeking to rebut what he views as perilous election-year bombast about Muslims, President Barack Obama heads Wednesday to a mosque in Baltimore, his first visit to such a site in the United States. At the Islamic Society of Baltimore, a 47-year-old mosque with thousands of attendees, Obama plans to herald the contributions of Muslims to American society while issuing a forceful counterpoint to the language favored by some Republican presidential candidates like Donald Trump, according to White House officials.

The Republican proposals have prompted fears from U.S. officials that Obama's work toward repairing relations with the Arab world could be diminished by the increasingly loud rhetoric on the campaign trail.

Obama's response has been scathing, including remarks late last week at a retreat for Democratic lawmakers.

"We're not going to strengthen our leadership around the world by allowing politicians to insult Muslims or pit groups of Americans against each other. That's not who we are. That's not keeping America safe," Obama said, describing Republican rhetoric as "phony tough talk and bluster and over-the-top claims."

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/03/politics/obama-mosque-visit-muslim-rhetoric/

[davidn3600]

52. People aren't going to change their opinions on Islam because Obama visited a Mosque