Barack Obama Praying at a Mosque

The president of U.S. Barack Obama has ignited a political controversy with his comments about the rights of American Muslims to build an Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero, the site of the 2001 terror attacks on New York City. The administration had claimed the issue was local, until the President made his remarks at the annual White House Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan. President Obama is crisscrossing the nation, speaking about the economy, campaigning for Democrats ahead of November's congressional elections.



Republicans have criticized President Obama as disconnected from Americans. US President Barack Obama visited a landmark mosque in Istanbul on Tuesday, following strong messages of US reconciliation with the Islamic world on his maiden trip to a mainly Muslim country. Obama stepped into the 17th-century Sultanahmet Mosque in the ancient heart of Istanbul, accompanied by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan amid tight security in the area.

When Sen. Obama was visiting Iraq recently, he reportedly went to pray in a mosque. Less than 24 hours later he was telling reporters he hadn't taken a position on the "wisdom" of the mosque project, only on the organizers' "right to build a place of worship and community center on private property in lower Manhattan." Obama's meanderings had the clarifying effect of separating the question of legality from considerations of prudence and advisability.