Obama to Visit Mosque, Host Muslim Leaders on 9/11
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest announced today that President Obama will be visiting a Washington D.C. area Mosque on the morning ofÂ September 11thÂ as a goodwill gesture to Muslim Americans. The name and location of the Mosque are currently being withheld for security reasons. The President has long been criticised for being sympathetic towards Muslims and has even been accused of secretly being Muslim himself. His announcement to visit a Mosque on the morning of Americaâs most tragic event will likely add to this criticism. According to Earnest, following his visit to the Mosque, the President will host several influential Muslim leaders at the White House luncheonÂ as a further gesture of goodwill. American Muslim Ahmed Mohamed Usman, founder of the group One Nation Under AllahÂ will be attending the luncheon and had nothing but praise for President Obamaâs decision. In an interview this afternoon on NPR, Usman had the following to say: âAmerica is supposed to be the land of freedom and of tolerance. Finally we are starting to see this. If America has Christian prayer breakfasts, so must it have breakfasts praying to Mecca. If America is to put the 10 Commandments on display, so must she display the Quran. To be welcomed into the highest office of AmericaÂ on theÂ anniversary of theÂ tragedy of 9/11 is an honor and is a step for Muslims in America to begin to establish our rights. President Obama is truly opening the door for Muslims in America.â