Professor Azizah al-Hibri, along with other Muslim leaders, met with President George W. Bush at the Islamic Center of Washington, DC on September 17, 2001. The meeting was originally planned to take place on September 11th at the White House, but was cancelled in light of the tragic events gripping the nation.

The President rescheduled the meeting quickly in major part to convey strongly his message of tolerance and unity among Americans. In his public statement at the mosque he stated that "the face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace." He added that "those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow [Muslim] citizens to take out their anger don't represent the best of America, they represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior." He also stressed that "moms who wear cover must not be intimidated in America."

The presidential public address was preceded by a private meeting in which the President repeated his message of unity and tolerance, and various Muslim leaders expressed their thoughts, feelings, and concerns about recent events. It was noted that of the 5,000 missing victims in New York, 500 were Muslim. Like the rest of the nation, American Muslims were also victims of these recent attacks.

Professor al-Hibri stated that she was heartened by the expressions of kindness, compassion, and support by many fellow Americans towards American Muslims, and by the President's deliberate, patient, and reasoned approach towards the crisis. She also pointed out that "when other people's lives are devalued, they tend to devalue those of others."

According to the Imam of the mosque, President Bush is only the second United States president to visit the center since President Dwight Eisenhower.