Today In History: Obama Says US Not At War With Islam; Nixon Throws First Pitch At Angels Game

April 6, 2017, is the 96th day of the year, with 269 days remaining. The moon is in a waxing gibbous phase, with illumination at 78 percent.

Obama: The United States “is not and will never be at war with Islam”

The year is 2009, and President Obama has formally begun his outreach to the Muslim world in an address before Turkey’s parliament in Ankara. He expressed his “deep appreciation for the Islamic faith” and stressed that “America’s relationship with the Muslim world cannot and will not be based on opposition to al-Qaeda.”

“I know there have been difficulties these last few years,” he said. “I know that the trust that binds us has been strained, and I know that strain is shared in many places where the Muslim faith is practiced.”

“Let me say this as clearly as I can,” the president continued. “The United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject.”

Obama also spoke on religion in America, asserting that the country was not “a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation,” that the United States was, instead, a nation of citizens who are “bound by ideals and a set of values.” Turkey’s border with Iraq and Iran, as well as its influence in Afghanistan, makes the country crucial to American interests. Obama reiterated during his speech that he strongly supported Turkey joining the European Union.

He said, “[The United States speaks] not as members of the EU, but as close friends of Turkey and Europe.”

Nixon throws first pitch at California Angels game

Flash back to 1973 at Anaheim Stadium, springtime on Opening Day. President Richard Nixon has thrown the first ball of the season. His catcher, former manager for the New York Mets Jeff Torborg, recalled making small talk with the 37th president of the United States.

“I guess your job is like an umpire’s,” Torborg remarked to the president. “You can’t please everybody.”

Every American president, since Taft, has thrown out at least one ceremonial first pitch either for Opening Day, the All-Star Game or the World Series, but Nixon made history as the first president to perform the ceremonial activity in a city other than Washington, DC.

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Photo credit: Obama White House