President Obama is framing his first visit to a U.S. mosque this week as an event aimed at celebrating Muslim-Americans’ contributions to the country, and a way to highlight religious freedom.
His visit with the Islamic Society of Baltimore will “reaffirm the importance that religious freedom has to our way of life,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday. It’s part of a trio of recent and upcoming events with different faith leaders seeking to underscore religious tolerance, during a presidential campaign that has featured strong anti-Muslim rhetoric, Earnest said.
Last week, Obama made his first visit to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, and Thursday he will attend the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.
The mosque visit “fits in the constellation of events the president is doing to talk about religious liberty and to talk about the role that faith plays in our public debate,” Earnest said.
Obama “believes that this kind of visit is important for the country,” Earnest added. “It’s an important way for us to lift up the value of religious tolerance and religious freedom that, again, was central to the founding of this country.”
Earnest said he expects some will criticize Obama’s trip, and said that will only help underscore his purpose. “But all of that, I think, will serve to elevate a debate that the president believes is worth having,” Earnest said.
