Bush tells Cyberken to shut up about Islam!
Bush rejects criticism of Islamic faith
'We do not fight a religion'
From John King
CNN Washington Bureau
Wednesday, November 13, 2002 Posted: 4:39 PM EST (2139 GMT)
President Bush: "There are millions of peaceful, loving Muslim Americans."
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush distanced himself Wednesday from comments from several conservative Christian leaders characterizing Islam as a violent faith.
"Some of the comments that have been uttered about Islam do not reflect the sentiments of my government or the sentiments of most Americans," Bush said during an Oval Office meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Bush delivered the remarks during a brief statement, not in response to any question.
Senior administration officials said it was a deliberate effort to put the White House on record in opposition to statements made in recent weeks and months by the Revs. Jerry Falwell, Pat Roberston and Franklin Graham.
Bush as recently as last week reiterated his oft-stated view that the war against terrorism is not a war against Islam or against Muslims.
But he decided to specifically reject the characterizations of the Christian conservative leaders because of concerns raised within the administration -- and by friendly voices overseas, a senior official said. "There are some who believe that not specifically rejecting these remarks is tantamount to accepting them, and the president wanted to address this head-on," the official said.
During the portion of his meeting with Annan that was open to reporters, Bush said:
"Of course, I'll remind the secretary-general that our war against terror is a war against individuals whose hearts are full of hate. We do not fight a religion. As a matter of fact, by far the vast majority of American citizens respect the Islamic people and the Muslim faith. After all, there are millions of peaceful, loving Muslim Americans.
"Some of the comments that have been uttered about Islam do not reflect the sentiments of my government or the sentiments of most Americans." |
