KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) -- United States President Barack Obama today visited one of Malaysia's iconic monuments, the National Mosque, also known as Masjid Negara, symbolising his approach in reaching out to the Muslim world.
His first event on Sunday to the mosque indicates his acceptance of the moderate Islamic practice in Malaysia, where the majority of its 30 million people are Muslims.
The 44th American president, who came to power in 2009 and later was re-elected to a second term in 2012, was greeted by National Mosque imam, Tan Sri Syaikh Ismail Muhammad and the mosque's committee members upon arrival in his presidential limousine at the front mosque entrance in Jalan Perdana, here, at 9.40am.
Obama, who was in a dark suit, strolled alongside Syaikh Ismail to the prayer hall and made a brief stop at the Warriors' Mausoleum, located next to the National Mosque.
Also present were Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin as minister-in-attendance, and United States Special Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Rashad Hussain.
Obama's three-day historic visit to this Southeast Asian nation - part of his four-nation tour of Asia - is a first by a sitting US president in 48 years since President Lyndon B.Johnson's trip back in 1966.
The National Mosque, which has a capacity for 15,000 people, is a symbol of the aspirations of the then new federation of Malaysia and a tribute to its first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj for his noble effort in gaining independence for the country.
The mosque, built in 1965, also heralded Islam as the nation's official religion and it receives many Muslim and non-Muslim tourists each year.
The 73-metre-high minaret and an 16-point star concrete main roof are among the key features of the mosque's uniqueness which attracts tourists.
The RM10 million building was built in an area of 5.2 hectares, located amid the leafy surroundings of central Kuala Lumpur's Lake Gardens and near the Islamic Arts Museum.
The Warriors' Mausoleum is where the country's second prime minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, father of current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Tun Hussein Onn (third prime minister) and two former deputy prime ministers, Tun Ghafar Baba and Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, were laid to rest.
On Friday, an English daily, The Star quoted religious adviser to the prime minister, Tan Sri Dr Abdullah Md Zin, as saying that it was "not common" for the leader of a superpower to include a visit to a mosque in his itinerary.
"There can be no better way for Obama to honour Islam than by visiting Masjid Negara. It will be interesting to know what he has to say about the mosque and Islam," he said.
The newspaper also quoted Johor Islamic Council adviser Datuk Nooh Gadut as saying that although Obama was not compelled to visit the mosque, his choice to do so meant a lot to Muslims in Malaysia and around the world.
"It shows that the president is sensitive and also that he wants to get closer to the Muslim world," said Nooh.
Obama's visit to a mosque is not new as he had visited the famed Blue Mosque while on a visit to Turkey in 2009.
During a trip to Indonesia in 2010, the president also visited Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, which is one of the world's largest mosques.
After the visit to the National Mosque, Obama is scheduled to head to Malaysia's federal administrative capital, Putrajaya, for talks with Najib.
-- BERNAMA
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