Obama says US at war with those ‘perverting Islam’

The United States is not at war with Islam, but with people who have perverted the religion, said President Barack Obama calling for a focus on preventing "terrorists" from recruiting and inspiring others.

Obama, speaking Wednesday at a White House conference on countering violent extremism, said "we should not grant them [the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and Al-Qaeda-linked groups] the religious legitimacy that they seek."

"They propagate the notion that America, and the West generally, is at war with Islam. That is how they recruit. That's how they radicalize young people," the president said.

"It is a lie... We are not at war with Islam. We are at war with people who have perverted Islam."

Obama also said he wanted to make sure Muslim communities were not punished or marginalized for crimes that extremists were committing in the name of Islam.

"No religion is responsible for violence and terrorism. People are responsible," he said. "We have to make sure ... that we do not stigmatize entire communities."

His remarks came a week after three Muslim students were fatally shot near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — which he called "brutal" and "outreageous" although he was criticized for not speaking out quickly after the deaths.

The White House has gathered law enforcement officials, Muslim leaders and lawmakers for a three-day meeting, Countering Violent Extremism.

Adding that he wants to lift voices of tolerance in the U.S. and beyond, Obama mentioned a letter he received from Sabrina, an 11-year-old Muslim American girl who said she was worried about people hating Muslims and asked him to tell everyone that Muslims were just like everyone else.

"Everybody needs to remember that during the course of this debate as we move forward with these challenges," Obama said.

However, he also said that Muslim communities had a responsibility to reject "the terrorist narrative" that Islam and the modern civilizations were in conflict.

"The terrorists do not speak for a billion Muslims," Obama said.

Ministerial-level meetings will take place on the final day of the conference, with 60 countries attending, and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to speak during a panel discussion.

Al Jazeera and agencies