As an act of goodwill, President Barack Obama visited a mosque in Baltimore for the first time during his tenure as commander-in-chief. The president delivered a speech to congregants at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, stressing the importance of a shared national identity, particularly in a time of increased tension and growing anti-Muslim sentiment. Yet, his visit seems to come at a suspect point in the national discourse on Islamophobia. If this was meant to be a grand sweeping gesture, that impact was undercut by the frigid political climate around him.

The obvious point of departure for this visit was President George W. Bush’s visit to a mosque directly after the Sept. 11 attacks, the only other time in recent history a sitting president has visited a mosque. Then, the message of peace came at a vastly more critical juncture, as President Bush assured a still-shocked American public that “the face of terror is not the true faith of Islam.” His speech was a firm reminder to scared and confused Americans not to fear their Muslim neighbors. Regardless of our benefit of hindsight, at the time it was a risky yet powerful political gesture — one that was meant to set order to the chaos of a traumatized nation. The world had its eyes set on Bush, and he leveraged that attention expertly.

President Obama’s visit, however, was received by a profoundly different nation. The war on terror has been a fact of life for almost 15 years now. Cynicism is the order of the day. U.S. opinions on Muslims are sharply divided along party lines, as are opinions of the president himself. While this visit will simultaneously fuel the anger of right-wing groups and the admiration of liberals, it is unlikely that it will sway the indifferent minority who are just too fed up with politics to care. Ultimately, there is no one left to convince — either your opinion is set or you’re sick of the whole thing. And however kind-hearted Obama’s gesture may have been, it fell on deaf ears and closed minds.
The one characteristic that set Obama’s stopover at the mosque apart was that it was politically safe. It didn’t come on the heels of a high-profile incident involving Muslim-Americans. It didn’t say anything that the president hadn’t already said in the last seven years. It didn’t even come at a time when Obama had to worry about his poll numbers. This is not to say that President Obama’s efforts towards the Muslim-American community are empty. However, it will take more than the occasional visit to metamorphose hate into acceptance. If any president is going to make meaningful progress for social justice in the United States, they must demand that progress wholeheartedly, whether politically expedient or not.

Email the Editorial Board at [email protected].