The President At The Mosque: Its Meaning And Significance

President Obama came to the Islamic Society of Baltimore’s Al-Rahmah Mosque in Catonsville, Maryland, this week with a message of religious tolerance and unity. It was the President’s first visit to an American mosque in the 7 years he’s been in the White House, and while some in his audience of Muslim community leaders, schoolchildren and invited guests might have been wondering why it took him so long, his nearly hour-long address to the gathering struck a positive chord.  Joining Tom in the studio this morning to discuss their reactions to the President’s remarks are two leaders of Baltimore’s thriving Muslim community who attended the event: Danette Zaghari-Mask, who teaches literature at the Catonsville mosque’s high school...and Imam Earl el-Amin, a Muslim leader and vice president of program development at the National Centers on Institutions and Alternatives, a social services organization.