OBAMA TELLS TURKS THAT US IS NOT AT WAR WITH ISLAM
By Tom Raum – Associated Press Writer
Fresno Bee
17.html
April 6 2009
CA
ANKARA, Turkey — Barack Obama, making his first visit to a Muslim
nation as president, declared Monday the United States "is not and
will never be at war with Islam."
Urging a greater partnership with the Islamic world in an address to
the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important ally in
many areas, including the fight against terrorism. He devoted much of
his speech to urging a greater bond between Americans and Muslims,
portraying terrorist groups such as al-Qaida as extremists who do
not represent the vast majority of Muslims.
"Let me say this as clearly as I can," Obama said. "The United States
is not and will never be at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership
with the Muslim world is critical … in rolling back the violent
ideologies that people of all faiths reject."
The U.S. president is trying to mend fences with a Muslim world
that felt it had been blamed by America for the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks.
At a news conference earlier with President Abdullah Gul, Obama
dealt gingerly with the issue of alleged genocide committed by Turks
against Armenians during World War I. He urged Turks and Armenians
to continue a process "that works through the past in a way that is
honest, open and constructive."
Al Jazeera and Al Arabiyia, two of the biggest Arabic satellite
channels, carried Obama’s speech live.
"America’s relationship with the Muslim community," he said, "cannot
and will not just be based upon opposition to terrorism. We seek
broader engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect."
"We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which
has done so much over the centuries to shape the world, including in
my own country," he said.
The president spoke for about 25 minutes from a small
white-marble-and-teak rostrum in the well of a vast, airy chamber
packed with Turkish lawmakers in orange leather chairs.
Except for a few instances of polite applause, the room was quiet
during his speech. There was a more hearty ovation toward the end when
Obama said the U.S. supports the Turkish government’s battle against
PKK, which both nations consider a terrorist group, and again when
he said America was not at war with Islam. Lawmakers also applauded
when Obama said the United States supports Turkey’s bid to join the
European Union.
Earlier, Obama said he stood by his 2008 assertion that Ottoman Turks
had carried out widespread killings of Armenians early in the 20th
century, but he stopped short of repeating the word "genocide."
Gul said many Turkish Muslims were killed during the same
period. Historians, not politicians, Gul said, should decide how to
label the events of those times.
In his 2008 campaign, Obama said "the Armenian genocide is not an
allegation," but rather "a widely documented fact supported by an
overwhelming body of historical evidence."
Now that he is president, the genocide question may not be Obama’s
best issue for taking a tough stand that antagonizes an ally. It is
important in U.S. communities with large numbers of Armenian-Americans,
but it has a low profile elsewhere.
In his speech to the parliament Monday, Obama said the United States
strongly supports the full normalization of relations between Turkey
and Armenia. He also noted that the United States "still struggles
with the legacies of slavery and segregation, the past treatment of
Native Americans."
The president also urged Turkey to help Israel and Palestine live
"side by side in peace and security."
Obama’s visit is being closely watched by an Islamic world that
harbored deep distrust of his predecessor, George W. Bush.