On Wednesday, President Barack Obama made his first visit to a mosque as president where he spoke to a group of Muslim Americans about the plague of anti-Islamic sentiment in America.

The president had some supportive words for the minority group as a whole, drawing comparisons between Muslim portrayals in American and past portrayals of African Americans.

“Part of what we have to do is to lift up the contributions of the Muslim-American community not when there’s a problem, but all the time. Our television shows should have some Muslim characters that are unrelated to national security. It’s not that hard to do.”

“There was a time when there were no black people on television and you can tell good stories while still representing the realities of our communities.”

“Muslim Americans are some of the most resilient and patriotic Americans you will ever meet.”

Watch.

Obama Visits A Mosque For The First Time As President“Muslim-Americans are some of the most resilient and patriotic Americans” — President Obama makes his first visit to a mosque

Posted by NowThis on Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Sydney Robinson is a political writer for the Ring of Fire Network. She has also appeared in political news videos for Ring of Fire. Sydney has a degree in English Literature from the University of West Florida, and has an active interest in politics, social justice, and environmental issues. She would love to hear from you on Twitter @SydneyMkay or via email at srobinson@ringoffireradio.com