Official Obama Family Portrait
Source: Media ITE
By Eddie Scarry | 10:52 am, September 24th, 2014
President Barack Obama on Wednesday addressed the United Nations General Assembly, focusing in large part on the U.S.’s current battle against the Islamic terrorist network ISIS.
Obama said that the U.S. is dedicated to fighting al Qaeda “and its associated forces” but said the U.S. “is not and never will be at war with Islam.”
“Islam teaches peace. Muslims the world over aspire to live with dignity and a sense of justice,” he said. “And when it comes to America and Islam, there is no us and them -– there is only us, because millions of Muslim Americans are part of the fabric of our country.”
Obama continued: “So, we reject any suggestion of a clash of civilizations. Belief in permanent religious war is the misguided refuge of extremists who cannot build or create anything, and therefore peddle only fanaticism and hate. And it is no exaggeration to say that humanity’s future depends on us uniting against those who would divide us along fault lines of tribe or sect; race or religion.”
Obama emphasized that the U.S. is not acting along in fighting ISIS — several Arab countries have committed to joining the U.S. — and he called on other nations to join. “Today, I ask the world to join in this effort,” he said. “Those who have joined ISIL should leave the battlefield while they can.”
Obama also called on Muslim global communities, “especially,” to reject extremism.
Obama’s full remarks on ISIS (ISIL):
Categories: Americas, Arab World, Israel, Middle East, World