Seattle mayor to give State of City address at mosque, slams Trump administration

Mayor Ed Murray plans to give his State of the City address next week at a mosque in North Seattle.

The address on Tuesday, his spokesman said, is meant to stand with the Seattle Muslim community "as we fight sanctioned discrimination by the Trump Administration."

Murray made the announcement Monday with City Council President Bruce Harrell.

This will be the first time Murray has held one a major speech to Council outside City Hall, though previous mayors have done so, his staff said.

Idris Mosque was opened in 1981 and is open to Muslims and non-Muslims.

“Both the City and Idris Mosque are committed to the American ideal of separation of church and state,” Murray’s spokesman, Benton Strong, said in an e-mail statement. “With this address Mayor Murray and Council are standing with Seattle’s Muslim community in their house of worship as we fight state sanctioned discrimination by the Trump Administration.”

“Throughout its history Seattle has stood with communities facing persecution from the government, including during the civil rights era at Black churches. “

KIRO 7 is asking more about the separation of church and state, and searching through Seattle archives to see if a State of the City speech has even been given at a religious space before. Watch with us from 5-6:30 p.m. on KIRO 7 or use this link for the KIRO 7 livestream.

The address will be given during a special Seattle City Council meeting which will be open to the public. It will be led by Harrell at 9:30 a.m. Doors open an hour earlier.

Cox Media Group