Breaking News Obama to Make First Mosque Visit Amid Divisive Republican Campaign Rhetoric

For the first time during his presidency, Barack Obama on Wednesday will visit a U.S. mosque, where he’ll meet Muslim community leaders for a roundtable and deliver remarks to the Islamic Society of Baltimore.

The president will “celebrate the contributions Muslim-Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life,” according to the White House schedule. “The visit reiterates the importance of staying true to our core values—welcoming our fellow Americans, speaking out against bigotry, rejecting indifference, and protecting our nation’s tradition of religious freedom.”
The visit comes just one week after Obama became the first sitting president to speak at the Israeli Embassy in Washington. The president attended a ceremony there on January 27 and addressed some of the same themes of bigotry and discrimination that he will speak about on Wednesday.