Obama, first lady visit Indonesia's largest mosque

U.S. President Barack Obama, right, talks to Grand Imam Ali Mustafa Yaqub at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta on Wednesday. Photo: AP.

President Barack Obama has paid a visit to Indonesia’s largest mosque, one of the largest of its kind in southeast Asia.

Mr. Obama and his wife, Michelle, walked in stockinged feet along a carpet laid across the sprawling courtyard of the Istiqlal Mosque. Along the way, the mosque’s imam explained that a Christian church visible in the distance uses the mosque’s parking lot during Christmas celebrations because it doesn’t have enough parking.

A smiling Mr. Obama then relayed that story to reporters. He called it an example of cooperation between the different religions in Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country.

Mr. Obama visited the mosque on Wednesday before a scheduled speech to the Indonesian people.