Why did secret Muslim Obama visit a controversial mosque?

Obama claims visit is response to GOP criticism of Islamic extremism.

President Obama is visiting a controversial mosque in Baltimore today, one that has ties to Islamic extremism. Even fellow Muslims are upset that he chose the Islamic Society of Baltimore for his visit, when he could have chosen more "moderate" mosques.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - Zuhdi Jasser, from the American Islamic Foru for Democracy, told Fox News that he was "insulted" that Obama chose an extremist mosque for his visit.

"As a Muslim American, I'm just insulted," Jasser told the media outlet, "this is disgraceful that this is one of the mosques - or the mosque - that he's chosen to visit. This mosque is very concerning."

The concern stems from its former imam, Mohamad Adam El-Sheikh, who worked there between 1983 and 2003. El-Sheikh was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan. After 2003, he became a director for the Islamic American Relief Agency, a firm that was cited by the Treasury Department for ties to Al Qaeda and the Taliban. He also became an imam at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, where Awalaki, a U.S. citizen, gave sermons prior to taking a top post with Al Qaeda in Yemen. The U.S. killed Awlaki in a drone strike in 2011.

El-Sheikh, on at least one occasion, explained how a suicide bombing might be acceptable in Islam.

The visit comes as speculation over Obama's Islamic upbringing returns to the public forum. Catholic Online recently summarized the evidence, concluding that Obama is a Muslim in the eyes of fellow Muslims and that he was raised as a Muslim. The report includes evidence from his teachers, friends and family, documents from his youth, and from his own quotes.

The White House is suggesting the mosque visit is intended to counteract what they see as anti-Muslim rhetoric from the Republican presidential candidates. However, fellow Muslims believe Obama could have chosen a much less controversial mosque to visit.

While Obama is still a citizen and he is welcome to hold and practice any faith he chooses, or even no faith at all, it is disrespectful to mislead the American public about his faith. Faith is a critical element for voters to assess when choosing a leader because faith is a factor in decision making. When it comes to the presidency, there is no privacy.

You can read Catholic Online's special report by clicking this link.

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