RTX25BI8
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the Islamic Society of Baltimore mosque in Catonsville, Maryland February 3, 2016. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Barack Obama used his first visit to a mosque on American soil to condemn recent “inexcusable political rhetoric” used against Muslim-Americans, but has instead faced unexpected backlash from the Muslim community.

Speaking to a crowd of thousands at the Islamic Society of Baltimore in Maryland on Wednesday, Obama cited recent anti-Muslim comments made by Republicans as having “no place” in US society.

"Since 9/11, but more recently since the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, you have seen too often people conflating the horrific acts of terrorism with the beliefs of an entire faith," he said.

“It’s no surprise, then, that threats and harassment of Muslim-Americans have surged.

“We have to understand that an attack on one faith is an attack on all our faiths…When any religious group is targeted, we all have a responsibility to speak up."

In December 2015, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gained significant media attention after calling for a “total and complete shutdown” of American borders to Muslims following the San Bernardino shootings.

Trump was also accused of echoing Adolf Hitler when he suggested that Muslims should wear “identification badges” to note their faith, as the Nazis forced Jews to wear the Star of David during World War Two.

Though Obama has visited several mosques overseas during his presidency, Wednesday was his first appearance at a mosque in the United States, potentially due to conspiracy theories surrounding his own faith.

Since the beginning of his first term, the President has denied consistent allegations from members of the Republican Party, namely Mitt Romney, that he is Muslim.

In September 2015, a CNN poll found that 29 percent of Americans said they believed Obama was Muslim – rather than Christian, as he identifies – including 43 percent of Republicans.

Despite attempts to distance himself from a personal connection with the Islamic faith, Obama emphasised the significance of Muslim-Americans in “the fabric of America” in his speech on Wednesday.

“We’re one American family…Let me say as clearly as I can, as president of the United States: you fit right here. You’re right where you belong.”

However, Obama’s speech has also resulted in significant online backlash from members of the Muslim community, with many claiming his comments of support come “too late.”

While his speech concentrated on the inclusion of, and respect for, America’s Muslim population, many have taken to social media with the hashtag ‘#TooLateObama’, accusing the President of hypocrisy.

Users are focusing their remarks on Obama’s foreign policy and the escalation of drone strikes throughout the Middle East, which have resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, as well as the continued operation of Guantanamo Bay.

The hashtag was started by Darakshan Raja, an Organising Fellow at the Washington Peace Center and co-founder of the Muslim American Women’s Policy Forum, along with several other Muslim women.

Raja took to Facebook with a statement following the President’s speech: “The main message [Obama] had was Muslims are only relevant as far as our contributions to American society but our own humanity, the marginalisation, and trauma we experience is irrelevant.”

“His legacy will be of normalising collective punishment against Muslims, continuing the War on Terror, fracturing the Muslim community by entrenching the good v. Bad Muslim, CVE policies, and allowing for the shaping of a narrative that relegates Islamophobia to individual-based hate and fear and outright erases the role of the state.”

While the #TooLateObama hashtag has been used sporadically in the past, Raja was the first user to implement the hashtag in the context of the President’s speech on Wednesday, resutling in its current internationally 'trending' status on both Facebook and Twitter.

RELATED STORIES