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Obama: US not at war with Islam

11 September 2010 21:19 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. US President Barack Obama has made use of the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to give an assurance that America will never be at war with Islam, APA reports quoting Press TV.

President Obama made an effort to address the issue of anti-Muslim sentiments across the United States on Saturday, urging Americans not to give into "hatred and prejudice."

"As Americans we are not and never will be at war with Islam. It was not a religion that attacked us that September day. It was al-Qaeda, (a) sorry band of men, which perverts religion," the US president told a Pentagon gathering.

"Just as we condemn intolerance and extremism abroad, so will we stay true to our traditions here at home as a diverse and tolerant nation," he was quoted as saying by AFP.

President Obama’s call for tolerance against "fellow Muslim citizens" was made amid fierce opposition by extremist groups to a plan for building an Islamic center, including a mosque, in New York City in the vicinity of Ground Zero.