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Acts Committed in Islam’s Name Betray Faith, Obama Says Acts Committed in Islam’s Name Betray Faith, Obama Says
(35 minutes later)
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Thursday condemned terrorism carried out under the mantle of Islam, saying that the last few months had shown the degree to which faith could be “twisted and misused in the name of evil.”WASHINGTON — President Obama on Thursday condemned terrorism carried out under the mantle of Islam, saying that the last few months had shown the degree to which faith could be “twisted and misused in the name of evil.”
“From a school in Pakistan to the streets of Paris, we have seen violence and terror perpetrated by those who profess to stand up for faith — their faith — professed to stand up for Islam but, in fact, are betraying it,” Mr. Obama said at the National Prayer Breakfast here.“From a school in Pakistan to the streets of Paris, we have seen violence and terror perpetrated by those who profess to stand up for faith — their faith — professed to stand up for Islam but, in fact, are betraying it,” Mr. Obama said at the National Prayer Breakfast here.
He called the Sunni militant group the Islamic State “a brutal, vicious death cult that, in the name of religion, carries out unspeakable acts of barbarism — terrorizing religious minorities like the Yazidis, subjecting women to rape as a weapon of war, and claiming the mantle of religious authority for such actions.”He called the Sunni militant group the Islamic State “a brutal, vicious death cult that, in the name of religion, carries out unspeakable acts of barbarism — terrorizing religious minorities like the Yazidis, subjecting women to rape as a weapon of war, and claiming the mantle of religious authority for such actions.”
The talk of terrorism was the sharpest note in a speech that was otherwise a reflection on religion and humility, and it was Mr. Obama’s latest effort to avoid branding recent violence by the Islamic State or those professing common cause with it as “Islamic” extremism. His team has said that doing so would play into the hands of the militant group and other terrorist organizations, legitimizing their message.The talk of terrorism was the sharpest note in a speech that was otherwise a reflection on religion and humility, and it was Mr. Obama’s latest effort to avoid branding recent violence by the Islamic State or those professing common cause with it as “Islamic” extremism. His team has said that doing so would play into the hands of the militant group and other terrorist organizations, legitimizing their message.
The White House carefully refrained from using the phrase “Islamic extremism” to describe the shootings in Paris last month at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and at a kosher supermarket. In the wake of the massacre, it announced a Feb. 18 presidential summit meeting on “violent extremism,” making no mention of Islam. The White House carefully refrained from using the phrase “Islamic extremism” to describe the shootings in Paris last month at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and at a kosher supermarket. In the wake of the massacre, it announced a Feb. 18 presidential summit on “violent extremism,” making no mention of Islam.
During a meeting at the White House with American Muslim leaders on Wednesday, Mr. Obama discussed the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, as well as anti-Muslim discrimination, according to officials.During a meeting at the White House with American Muslim leaders on Wednesday, Mr. Obama discussed the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, as well as anti-Muslim discrimination, according to officials.
“This is not unique to one group or one religion,” Mr. Obama said on Thursday. “There is a tendency in us, a sinful tendency that can pervert and distort our faith.”“This is not unique to one group or one religion,” Mr. Obama said on Thursday. “There is a tendency in us, a sinful tendency that can pervert and distort our faith.”
Mr. Obama said technology could make it harder to combat such forces, given that “hate groups have their own Twitter accounts, and bigotry can fester in hidden places in cyberspace.”Mr. Obama said technology could make it harder to combat such forces, given that “hate groups have their own Twitter accounts, and bigotry can fester in hidden places in cyberspace.”