Barack Obama will visit Indonesia's largest mosque and make a major outdoor speech directed at the global Muslim community when he visits Indonesia next month, the White House said Thursday.
Obama leaves on Nov. 5 on a 10-day trip to India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan. On Nov. 10 in Jakarta, Obama will visit the Istiqlal Mosque, and then make his speech from another, outdoor location, where there could be a large crowd.
"He'll have a chance to talk about the partnership that we're building with Indonesia, but also to talk about some of the themes of democracy and development and our outreach to Muslim communities around the world," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told a news conference.
First lady Michelle Obama is also going to Jakarta.
The U.S. president was due to travel to Indonesia in March and in June, but put off the visit each time because of domestic political concerns, which disappointed and angered some Indonesians.
But Obama remains popular in the world's most populous Muslim country, where he spent four years while growing up, even as confidence in him has dropped in other Muslim states since he made a major speech in Cairo in June 2009 seeking a new beginning with the Islamic world.
Obama also will announce a new "comprehensive partnership" with Indonesia on security, economic and people-to-people issues, said Jeffrey Bader, the president's top Asian adviser.
He will talk about the partnership in the speech, but also Indonesia's rise as a democracy and emerging economy, close relationship with the United States and pluralism.
"Visiting this mosque and in his speech, I think he'll have the opportunity to underscore the themes that he's made in terms of outreach to Muslim communities around the world," Rhodes told the news conference.
Obama had been expected to visit another major religious site during his Asian tour, the Sikh Golden Temple in the northern Indian city of Amritsar. Indian media reports said the visit was canceled after aides balked at the idea of the U.S. president wearing the scarf or skullcap required at the site.
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9 comments:
Does this come as a shock to anyone? The 'dude' has been giving us hints the past 2 years that he's a muslim so of course he's going to their service. Hey, let's pack up everyone who voted for him and let them go with him, then they'll see the truth.
Mmmmm , no more "IN God We Trust" , but we have "in Muslim We Trust".
WAKE UP U.S.A.!
Maybe while he's visiting over in Indonesia his place will run out of fuel and they won't have any to refuel it and he'll live happily ever after over there.
Air Force One can re fuel in the air. Nice try.
When he finishes hooking up with his old buddies from the madrassa, reliving some old times back when he spent YEARS memorizing Koranic verses and playing pranks on the local Imam, he's coming back to the USA to give a speech to the worlds largest gathering of Christians to tell them how much he respects them and how he is going to gather the resources of the United States in order to help them advance their cause, spread their message, strengthen their ranks and help them feel good about themselves. He supposedly will apologize for saying we are no longer a Christian nation, too. He also supposedly asked us all not to hold our collective breath for this historic event....it might take him until he is re-elected.
My bible teaches me to pray for everyone and particularly our leaders. I pray they will keep him over there where he belongs (with devoted like minded people like him) it would save the U.S. much!
I am outraged that India would expect a U.S. President to wear a scarf or skullcap! Why is it our country can bow down to respect other cultures and religions and preach tolerance, political correctness, and always be worried about offending someone in our own country but then ironically we are expected to resort to someone else's religious customs while visiting their country??? How hypocrital is that???
soon we will no longer be one nation under God, but rather one nation under Allah. Scary times. Wake up folks!
he'd do well to set some "inreach" & quit trippin'.
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