President Barack Obama made an historic visit to a local mosque Wednesday.
The President acknowledged that while this is "a time of concern and a time of fear," given recent terror attacks, Americans should view mosques as cornerstones within the community, and should regularly celebrate the positive contributions of Muslim Americans.
"Muslim Americans are some of the most resilient and patriotic Americans," he said.
President Obama urged citizens of all faiths to respect freedom of religion, and to stand up against hate crimes and violence.
He also called on Muslim leaders to help combat extremism, saying the country would support voices that promote pluralism and peace.
"Islam comes from peace," Obama says. Until now, only speculation for reason behind @POTUS visit. Prez. laying out reason now
— Dakarai Turner ABC2 (@Dakarai_Turner) February 3, 2016
"Groups like ISIL are desperate for legitimacy," @POTUS says. They're "not defending Islam or Muslims." #MosqueVisit
— Dakarai Turner ABC2 (@Dakarai_Turner) February 3, 2016
Essentially @POTUS saying here that Muslim leaders must take a leading role in a fight against radicalism and extremism #MosqueVisit
— Dakarai Turner ABC2 (@Dakarai_Turner) February 3, 2016
It was the president's first visit to a mosque in the U.S. The visit comes after he called for a rejection of anti-Muslim rhetoric during his state of the union speech last month.
