US president calls for respecting Islam
US president George W. Bush visited on Monday the Islamic Center of Washington, DC where he met with US-based Muslim leaders and called for respecting Muslims and Islam saying "the face of terror is not the true faith of Islam."
After he stressed that Muslims across the world were also appalled and outraged at last Tuesday's attacks, he said "these acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith. And it's important for my fellow Americans to understand that."
"The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent evil and war. When we think of Islam we think of a faith that brings comfort to a billion people around the world. Billions of people find comfort and solace and peace."
America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, he went on, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country. Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, moms and dads. And they need to be treated with respect.
"Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don't represent the best of America, they represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior," he insisted.
