Makkah : Sara Omar, paternal grandmother of U.S. President Barack Obama, attended an exhibition detailing the life of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) at the end of Umrah pilgrimage in Makkah, local media reported Wednesday.
Sara Omar, who is in her 90s, arrived in Makkah with her son Saeed Obama, uncle of President Obama, and her grandson Mousa Obama to perform Umrah.
After finishing Umrah, she visited an exhibition about the life of the Prophet, commenting that it was a “good example” of what she called the moderate teachings of Islam.
She commended the Saudi government’s efforts to expand the two holy mosques. Sara and her family members visited the Prophet’s show, which is located in the Naseem district of Makkah, for two hours. “I am very happy to visit this exhibition, which is a good example for the propagation of Islam in a modern way, supported by scientific and authentic documents.” She also expressed hope that the exhibition would visit other countries with the support of the Saudi government in order to remove the misunderstandings about the divine religion.
The Arabic-language Akhbar meanwhile said Obama’s grandmother cried during her visit to the exhibition. Obama is a Christian whose religious views developed in his adult life but his father is of Muslim heritage from Kenya. Obama said both his American mother and Kenyan father were not devout.