Obama To Visit A Mosque For The First Time As President

The visit comes after he called for Muslim Americans to help fight extremism.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama plans to visit a U.S. mosque for the first time during his presidency on Wednesday.

The White House said on Saturday that the president's visit to the Islamic Society of Baltimore would "celebrate the contributions Muslim Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life."

Last month Obama called on Muslim Americans to help fight extremism in the aftermath of the San Bernardino, California attacks. Following that call, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), one of two Muslims in Congress, expressed frustration that the president had never visited a mosque during his presidency.

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