Obama reaches out to Muslims during first trip to Turkey
President Obama used his first speech as president in a Muslim-majority country yesterday as an opportunity to reach out to Muslims worldwide, stating that "the United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam." In his remarks, made before the Turkish Parliament, Obama also stressed the need for a broader engagement with the Muslim world – an engagement that goes beyond joint counterterrorism efforts and that is based on mutual respect and mutual interests.
Obama also gave a nod to the contributions of American Muslims to his own country and pointed out that many non-Muslim Americans, like himself, "have Muslims in their family, or have lived in a Muslim-majority country."
Today, on the second day of Obama’s first trip to the Middle East as president, he held a town hall meeting with Turkish students, where he again emphasized many of the same themes:
"I believe we can have a dialogue that’s open, honest, vibrant, and grounded in respect. And I want you to know that I’m personally committed to a new chapter of American engagement. We can’t afford to talk past one another, to focus only on our differences, or to let the walls of mistrust go up around us."
