United States (US) President Barack Obama said military power alone cannot stop Islamic extremists, and communities must do more to discredit the notion Islam is “polluted” by Western values.
Speaking to representatives from 60 nations during a three-day event on extremism at the White House, Obama said there were a lot of Muslims who did not necessarily agree with the violent tactics of extremist groups such as al-Qaeda or the Islamic State (IS), but who “buy into” the notion that Islam had been “polluted” by the West.
“These terrorists are a threat first and foremost to the communities they target,” he said. “It makes individuals…more ripe for radicalisation.”
“Muslim leaders need to do more to discredit the notion that our nations are determined to suppress Islam,” he added.
Obama said those leading al-Qaeda or IS were not religious leaders but terrorists, and associating these groups with Islam would be buying into their propaganda.
He added the US was not at war with Islam, but with the “people who perverted Islam.”
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, meanwhile, said the only way to beat the extremists was to stick together:
“When we are together, we are most strong,” she told the summit.
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