--- title: Barack Obama Mosque Visit Inspires #TooLateObama Criticism description: Some Muslims accused President Barack Obama of hypocrisy and "anti-Muslim policies" on Wednesday, using the Twitter hashtag #TooLateObama canonical: https://time.com/4206762/barack-obama-mosque-visit-toolateobama/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-03T22:03:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:03.422Z article:section: Politics og:title: Muslims Dismiss Obama's Mosque Visit as #TooLateObama og:description: Some Muslims used #TooLateObama to respond to the President's remarks on Islam og:url: https://time.com/4206762/barack-obama-mosque-visit-toolateobama/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta737aa69afcd9d4e/69887c0ef887dc0e9de94731/obama-mosque2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3500 og:image:height: 1969 og:image:alt: President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the Islamic Society of Baltimore mosque in Catonsville, Maryland on Feb. 3, 2016. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Muslims Dismiss Obama's Mosque Visit as #TooLateObama twitter:description: Some Muslims used #TooLateObama to respond to the President's remarks on Islam twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta737aa69afcd9d4e/69887c0ef887dc0e9de94731/obama-mosque2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Muslims Dismiss Obama's Mosque Visit as #TooLateObama > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=a5e42091-fc0c-44ea-be23-c49cfb7f3faa&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=a5e42091-fc0c-44ea-be23-c49cfb7f3faa&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=a5e42091-fc0c-44ea-be23-c49cfb7f3faa&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=a5e42091-fc0c-44ea-be23-c49cfb7f3faa&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Raw: Obama Visits Baltimore Mosque [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Raw: Obama Visits Baltimore Mosque](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/C7ifLE8i.m3u8) (1:01)  _Published 2016-02-03_  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Feb 3, 2016 10:03 PM UTC  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Feb 3, 2016 10:03 PM UTC President Obama [mounted a defense Wednesday of American Muslims](http://time.com/4206634/obama-mosque-muslims-american-family/) who have found themselves under scrutiny amid the rise of [ISIS](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2015-runner-up-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi/), using [his first visit to a mosque while in office](http://time.com/4205979/obama-mosque-visit-history/) to proclaim that “we are are one America family.” But many Muslims weren’t impressed, accusing Obama of hypocrisy and “anti-Muslim policies,” using the Twitter hashtag #TooLateObama. Obama’s speech in Maryland condemned anti-Muslim rhetoric, following proposals by Republican presidential candidate [Donald Trump](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2015-runner-up-donald-trump/) to ban Muslims from entering the country. “We have to reject a politics that seeks to manipulate prejudice or bias and targets people because of religion,” Obama said. “None of us can be silent. We can’t be bystanders to bigotry.” For many Muslims on social media, it was too little, too late. People using the #TooLateObama hashtag criticized Obama’s foreign policy, especially the [escalation of drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/world/asia/drone-strikes-reveal-uncomfortable-truth-us-is-often-unsure-about-who-will-die.html). The New York _Times_ and other news outlets have reported on the [civilian casualties](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/world/asia/drone-strikes-reveal-uncomfortable-truth-us-is-often-unsure-about-who-will-die.html) of such drone strikes, describing the act of identifying drone targets as an “imperfect best guess.” Twitter users also faulted Obama for failing to keep his campaign promise to [close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay.](http://time.com/4179278/state-of-the-union-guantanamo-bay-president-obama/) Obama thanked Muslims for their contributions to American society during his speech. “Telling ‘thank you’ to Muslim-Americans isn’t just enough. We still are targets of state violence,” one [wrote on Twitter](https://twitter.com/sarah%5Fharvard/status/694959981968359424). > [](https://twitter.com/OpiniontdBlkGuy/status/694962112276348928) > [](https://twitter.com/Delo%5FTaylor/status/694976332149600256) > [](https://twitter.com/levantina%5F/status/694980692212629504) > [](https://twitter.com/AfrixaAF/status/694968669428842496) > [](https://twitter.com/TheMinastic/status/694966913575882752) > [](https://twitter.com/AuburnSandstrom/status/694963619986038784) > [](https://twitter.com/sarah%5Fharvard/status/694959981968359424) > [](https://twitter.com/DarakshanRaja/status/694954104875974656) > [](https://twitter.com/sarah%5Fharvard/status/694938319105495040) Not everyone was critical. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) [praised the visit](https://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational/photos/a.92140837694.89999.42590232694/10153509060827695/?type=3&theater) as a sign of progress “The President’s first visit to an American mosque is a significant step in the right direction and will hopefully encourage our nation’s political and religious leaders to join him in pushing back against rising Islamophobia,” Zainab Chaudry, outreach manager for CAIR Maryland, said in a statement. ## Transcript Recently we've heard inexcusable political rhetoric against Muslim Americans that has no place in our country. The first thing I wanna say is two words that Muslim Americans don't hear often enough. And that is thank you. Thank you for serving your community Thank you for lifting up the lives of your neighbors and for helping keep us strong and united as one American family. Girl from Ohio, 13 years old, told me, I'm scared. Girl from Texas signed her letter, a confused 13 year old trying to find her place in the world. These are Children just like mine. And the notion that they would be filled with doubt and questioning their place in this great in this great country of ours in a time when they've got enough to worry about. It's hard being a teenager already. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] That's, that's not who we are. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4206762/barack-obama-mosque-visit-toolateobama/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4206762/barack-obama-mosque-visit-toolateobama/"},"headline":"Muslims Dismiss Obama's Mosque Visit as #TooLateObama","datePublished":"2016-02-03T22:03:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:41:03.422Z","description":"Complaints that it was too little, too late","url":"https://time.com/4206762/barack-obama-mosque-visit-toolateobama/","keywords":["White House"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta737aa69afcd9d4e/69887c0ef887dc0e9de94731/obama-mosque2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta737aa69afcd9d4e/69887c0ef887dc0e9de94731/obama-mosque2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the Islamic Society of Baltimore mosque in Catonsville, Maryland on Feb. 3, 2016.","caption":"President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the Islamic Society of Baltimore mosque in Catonsville, Maryland on Feb. 3, 2016.","creditText":"Jonathan Ernst—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4206762/barack-obama-mosque-visit-toolateobama/","name":"Muslims Dismiss Obama's Mosque Visit as #TooLateObama"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME Raw: Obama Visits Baltimore Mosque","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/C7ifLE8i/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-02-03T20:51:45.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/C7ifLE8i.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4206762/barack-obama-mosque-visit-toolateobama/","duration":"PT1M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4206762/barack-obama-mosque-visit-toolateobama/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```