Muslim Community Fights To 'Unite Against Hate' In Baltimore County

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Education through unity. That's the goal of the Muslim community here in Maryland as they attempt to push through "islamophobia."

Marcus Washington has more.

Inside the Masjid Bait-us-Samad in Rosedale, it's a fight to unite against hate on Sunday afternoon. The event brought many in the community together as the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community launched their "True Islam Campaign."

"We hope to establish friendships. We hope to build bridges," said Hammad Ahamad, Imam. "Too often in the world today we believe extremism hatred comes out of a place of division, out of being divided, out of focusing on differences."

Sunday's meeting comes days before President Obama is set to visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore, in Catonsville. The visit will be his first to an American mosque.

RELATED: President Obama Will Visit Baltimore County Mosque

A spokesperson for the the Catonsville mosque says the President will likely give a speech, have a round table discussion and then play with the kids.

This will make it the president's second visit to the Baltimore area within a week's time. He was spoke to House Democrats in Baltimore last week.

"It's exciting that he's visiting a mosque," said Ahamad. "He's building that friendship or that relationship. It's a huge step for a president to do this, because it sets a tone for the entire country."

Ahamad says he understands where the fears originate, as extremist terrorize the world in the name is Islam.

"We believe it becomes our duty, as the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, to teach and educate people that what you see on the news is not true Islam," said Ahamad. "True Islam in inherently peaceful and inherently moderate and it is here to unite mankind," he said.

He adds it's time to not focus on our differences, but the things we as people have in common.

Ahamad says, "To come together on this commonality, we can build bridges, we can unite against hatred based on this commonality, which is found in the true teachings of Islam as well as the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community beliefs."

For more information on the True Islam Campaign CLICK HERE.