Excerpt:
A small number of House Democrats will attend prayer services at mosques on Friday in what is intended to be a show of solidarity with American Muslims.
But the act may more likely be seen as a mark of contrast to Republican lawmakers, who have fixated on recent mass shootings by Muslims in Paris and in San Bernardino, Calif., as evidence that the United States needs to stop the influx of refugees and bulk up offenses in the Middle East.
"After Paris and after the House resolution a few weeks ago, we just thought it was really important to continue to reiterate to the many, many peace-loving Muslim Americans that they were still a welcome part of our community," said Representative Don Beyer, Democrat of Virginia, who helped organize the visits, including one to Dar al-Hijrah, a mosque outside Washington.