Washington:
On the eve of the ninth anniversary of the 9/11, President Barack Obama on Friday said that America is not at war with Islam, but against "a handful of tiny minority" who have distorted the preachings of this great religion.
Asserting that the majority of the Muslims across the world are peace loving and do not support extremist ideologies, Obama said the US is at war with terrorists and murderers who had perverted Islam.
"We were at war with terrorists and murderers who had perverted Islam, had stolen its banner to carry out their outrageous acts," Obama said in response to a question at his White House press conference.
"We are not at war against Islam. We are at war against terrorist organisations that have distorted Islam or falsely used the banner of Islam to engage in their destructive acts."
He underlined the need for allies to successfully reduce the terror threat.
"We've got to be clear about that, because...if we're going to successfully reduce the terror threat, then we need all the allies we can get", Obama said.
"The folks who are most interested in a war between the United States or the West and Islam are Al-Qaida. That's what they've been banking on", he said.
He said the overwhelming majority of Muslims around the world are peace-loving and interested in the same things that "you and I are interested in. How do I make sure I can get a good job, how can I make sure that my kids get a decent education, how can I make sure I'm safe, how can I improve my lot in life. And so they have rejected this violent ideology for the most part, overwhelmingly," Obama said.
He said it was necessary to be clear about "who the enemy is here". So from a national security interest, we want to be clear about who the enemy is here. It's a handful, a tiny minority of people who are engaging in horrific acts and have killed Muslims more than anybody else," Obama said.
In fact, Obama praised his predecessor, George W Bush, in this regard. "One of the things that I most admired about President Bush was, after 9/11, him being crystal clear about the fact that we were not at war with Islam," he said.
"We were at war with terrorists and murderers who had perverted Islam, had stolen its banner to carry out their outrageous acts," Obama noted.
Asserting that the majority of the Muslims across the world are peace loving and do not support extremist ideologies, Obama said the US is at war with terrorists and murderers who had perverted Islam.
"We were at war with terrorists and murderers who had perverted Islam, had stolen its banner to carry out their outrageous acts," Obama said in response to a question at his White House press conference.
"We are not at war against Islam. We are at war against terrorist organisations that have distorted Islam or falsely used the banner of Islam to engage in their destructive acts."
He underlined the need for allies to successfully reduce the terror threat.
"We've got to be clear about that, because...if we're going to successfully reduce the terror threat, then we need all the allies we can get", Obama said.
"The folks who are most interested in a war between the United States or the West and Islam are Al-Qaida. That's what they've been banking on", he said.
He said the overwhelming majority of Muslims around the world are peace-loving and interested in the same things that "you and I are interested in. How do I make sure I can get a good job, how can I make sure that my kids get a decent education, how can I make sure I'm safe, how can I improve my lot in life. And so they have rejected this violent ideology for the most part, overwhelmingly," Obama said.
He said it was necessary to be clear about "who the enemy is here". So from a national security interest, we want to be clear about who the enemy is here. It's a handful, a tiny minority of people who are engaging in horrific acts and have killed Muslims more than anybody else," Obama said.
In fact, Obama praised his predecessor, George W Bush, in this regard. "One of the things that I most admired about President Bush was, after 9/11, him being crystal clear about the fact that we were not at war with Islam," he said.
"We were at war with terrorists and murderers who had perverted Islam, had stolen its banner to carry out their outrageous acts," Obama noted.
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