(CNN) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday arrived in Indonesia, where he spent part of his childhood.
During his two-day visit, Obama is scheduled to meet with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and to hold a news conference with him; to attend an official dinner; and to visit the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in southeast Asia.
The president also is expected to deliver a public speech at a university.
"In that speech, he'll have a chance to talk about the partnership that we're building with Indonesia, but also to talk about some of the themes of democracy and development and our outreach to Muslim communities around the world, while also speaking of Indonesia's pluralism and tolerance as well," Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, said ahead of Obama's 10-day tour of Asia.
"While [Indonesia is] a Muslim majority, it's a host to a broad religious diversity, so this speech will give the president an opportunity to discuss some of the themes that many of you have heard him talk about and to do so, again, in a country where he can speak to the importance of Indonesia to him, personally, having lived there for several years in Jakarta as a boy," Rhodes added.
On Sunday, Muslims staged rallies across Indonesia to protest Obama's visit to the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.
"We don't see the differences between Obama and Bush. They both oppress Muslims. They both have blood on their hands," said Ismail Yusanto, a spokesman for the Muslim group Hizbut Tahrir.
CNN
