US President Barack Obama denounced attacks on Islam during his first visit to a US mosque since taking office. His comments in Catonsville
US President Barack Obama denounced attacks on Islam during his first visit to a US mosque since taking office.
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His comments in Catonsville, Maryland, come amid a heated presidential race during which several opposition Republican candidates have alienated Muslims.
"You are not Muslim or American.
You are Muslim AND American."
—@POTUS to young Muslim Americans #MosqueVisit https://t.co/GnEH7Xf8S1— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 3, 2016
“Since 9/11, but more recently since the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, you’ve seen too often people conflating the horrific acts of terrorism with the beliefs of an entire faith. And, of course, recently we’ve heard inexcusable political rhetoric against Muslim Americans.”
It’s an apparent jibe at Republican candidate Donald Trump’s call for Muslims to be banned from entering the country.
“An attack on one faith is an attack on all our faiths,” Obama told the audience.
Trump dismissed the criticism his comment provoked and compared his plan to the detainment of members of the Japanese, German and Italian community during the Second World War.