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| Obama Chides Republicans Who Want to Screen Muslim Refugees | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| ANTALYA, Turkey — President Obama on Monday lashed out at Republican presidential candidates who suggested that religious tests be given to refugees seeking to enter the United States out of a fear of letting terrorists into the country. | ANTALYA, Turkey — President Obama on Monday lashed out at Republican presidential candidates who suggested that religious tests be given to refugees seeking to enter the United States out of a fear of letting terrorists into the country. |
| Mr. Obama said it was shameful for Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, to have suggested that the United States only let in Christian refugees, not Muslim ones. | Mr. Obama said it was shameful for Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, to have suggested that the United States only let in Christian refugees, not Muslim ones. |
| “That’s not American. That’s not who we are,” Mr. Obama said during a news conference at the Group of 20 summit meeting in Turkey. “We don’t have religious tests to our compassion.” | “That’s not American. That’s not who we are,” Mr. Obama said during a news conference at the Group of 20 summit meeting in Turkey. “We don’t have religious tests to our compassion.” |
| In the aftermath of the attacks in Paris on Friday night, Mr. Bush said that “we should focus our efforts as it relates to the refugees to the Christians that are being slaughtered.” Mr. Obama criticized that comment, saying it ignored the suffering of people of all faiths. | In the aftermath of the attacks in Paris on Friday night, Mr. Bush said that “we should focus our efforts as it relates to the refugees to the Christians that are being slaughtered.” Mr. Obama criticized that comment, saying it ignored the suffering of people of all faiths. |
| “The people who are fleeing Syria are the most harmed by terrorism; they are the most vulnerable as a consequence of civil war and strife,” he said. | “The people who are fleeing Syria are the most harmed by terrorism; they are the most vulnerable as a consequence of civil war and strife,” he said. |
| It is important, he said, that “we do not close our hearts to these victims of such violence, and somehow start equating the issue of refugees with the issue of terrorism.” | It is important, he said, that “we do not close our hearts to these victims of such violence, and somehow start equating the issue of refugees with the issue of terrorism.” |
| Mr. Obama also said the Paris attacks had stiffened the world’s resolve to stand against the Islamic State, which he said was “the face of evil” on the planet. | Mr. Obama also said the Paris attacks had stiffened the world’s resolve to stand against the Islamic State, which he said was “the face of evil” on the planet. |
| Mr. Obama said the killings across the center of Paris were a “terrible and sickening setback” in the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh. But he insisted that the American-led strategy to “degrade and destroy” the militant group is working. | Mr. Obama said the killings across the center of Paris were a “terrible and sickening setback” in the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh. But he insisted that the American-led strategy to “degrade and destroy” the militant group is working. |
| “We have the right strategy and we’re going to see it through,” Mr. Obama told reporters at the news conference as he ended a two-day visit to Turkey before heading to the Philippines and Malaysia for summit meetings there. | “We have the right strategy and we’re going to see it through,” Mr. Obama told reporters at the news conference as he ended a two-day visit to Turkey before heading to the Philippines and Malaysia for summit meetings there. |
| Mr. Obama announced a new agreement between the United States and France to share more intelligence information, saying that the new arrangement would “allow our personnel to pass threat information, including on ISIL, even more quickly and more often.” | Mr. Obama announced a new agreement between the United States and France to share more intelligence information, saying that the new arrangement would “allow our personnel to pass threat information, including on ISIL, even more quickly and more often.” |
| He said the United States was seeking to persuade other allies to engage more deeply in the fight against the Islamic State, and he said the American effort to find more partners on the ground in Syria and Iraq was accelerating. | He said the United States was seeking to persuade other allies to engage more deeply in the fight against the Islamic State, and he said the American effort to find more partners on the ground in Syria and Iraq was accelerating. |
| But he said large numbers of American troops on the ground would be a mistake and would not help solve the terrorism problem around the globe. | But he said large numbers of American troops on the ground would be a mistake and would not help solve the terrorism problem around the globe. |
| “A strategy has to be one that can be sustained,” he said. | “A strategy has to be one that can be sustained,” he said. |
| Criticism of Mr. Obama’s strategy for confronting the Islamic State has intensified since the Paris attacks as reaction to the large number of dead and wounded across that city generated an emotional response inside of France and around the world. | Criticism of Mr. Obama’s strategy for confronting the Islamic State has intensified since the Paris attacks as reaction to the large number of dead and wounded across that city generated an emotional response inside of France and around the world. |
| But Mr. Obama rejected the idea that the administration had underestimated the capabilities of the Islamic State, saying that the group’s attacks have not been particularly sophisticated. | But Mr. Obama rejected the idea that the administration had underestimated the capabilities of the Islamic State, saying that the group’s attacks have not been particularly sophisticated. |
| “If you have a handful of people who don’t mind dying, they can kill a lot of people,” Mr. Obama said. “That’s one of the challenges of terrorism. It’s the ideology that they carry with them and their willingness to die.” | “If you have a handful of people who don’t mind dying, they can kill a lot of people,” Mr. Obama said. “That’s one of the challenges of terrorism. It’s the ideology that they carry with them and their willingness to die.” |
| Mr. Obama said the United States did not receive any specific threats in advance of the Paris attacks that could have provided any early warning to authorities trying to prevent them. | Mr. Obama said the United States did not receive any specific threats in advance of the Paris attacks that could have provided any early warning to authorities trying to prevent them. |
| “There were no specific mentions of this particular attack that would give us a sense that there was something that we could provide to French authorities, for example, or act on ourselves,” Mr. Obama told reporters. | “There were no specific mentions of this particular attack that would give us a sense that there was something that we could provide to French authorities, for example, or act on ourselves,” Mr. Obama told reporters. |
| He said there have been concerns about the danger of Islamic State attacks in the West for more than a year. But he added that “some of it is extraordinarily vague and there is no clear timetable.” | He said there have been concerns about the danger of Islamic State attacks in the West for more than a year. But he added that “some of it is extraordinarily vague and there is no clear timetable.” |
| Mr. Obama insisted that he has not shown any hesitation to act militarily, citing his approval of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and his decisions to expand the number of troops in Afghanistan. But he said he would not be pressured into “posing” as a tough president by doing things that will not make the situation better. | Mr. Obama insisted that he has not shown any hesitation to act militarily, citing his approval of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and his decisions to expand the number of troops in Afghanistan. But he said he would not be pressured into “posing” as a tough president by doing things that will not make the situation better. |
| “What I do not do is to take actions, either because it is going to work politically or it is going to somehow, in the abstract, make America look tough, or make me look tough,” he said. | “What I do not do is to take actions, either because it is going to work politically or it is going to somehow, in the abstract, make America look tough, or make me look tough,” he said. |