Obama: Our Muslim Soldiers Are 'Just US,' NOT Them and Us

[Hissyspit]

Run time: 05:49 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP0ObuiG4ww   Posted on YouTube: September 10, 2010 By YouTube Member: StartLoving3 Views on YouTube: 31   Posted on DU: September 11, 2010 By DU Member: Hissyspit Views on DU: 272

 
September 10, 2010

In his first press conference since May, President Obama championed a new set of economic proposals and announced that a current White House economist, Austan Goolsbee, will head the Council of Economic Advisers.

Today's press conference is President Obama's eighth since taking office. Reporters questioned the President about Afghanistan, reports of military setbacks against insurgents, and a recent threat to burn the Qur'an, the Muslim holy book, in Gainesville, Florida

WENDELL GOLER, FOX 'NEWS': "I wonder if I can get you to weigh in on the wisdom of building a mosque a couple of blocks from Ground Zero. We know that the organizers have the constitutional right. What would it say about this country if they were somhow talked out of doing that. And hasn't the Florida minister's threat to burn a couple of hundred copies of the Qur'an, hasn't the threat it self put American lives at danger?"

OBAMA: "Well, on your second question, there is no doubt that when someone goes out of their way to be provocative in ways that we know can inflame the passions of over a billion Muslims around the world at a time when we've got our troops in a lot of Muslim countries, that's a problem.

And it has made life a lot more difficult for our men and women in uniform who already have a difficult job.

With respect to the mosque in New York, I think I've been pretty clear on my position here. This country stands for the proposition that all men and women are created equal, that they have certain inalienable rights; one of those inalienable rights is to practice their religion freely. And what that means is that if you could build a church on a site, you could build a synagogue on a site, you could build a Hindu temple on a site, you should be able to build a mosque on a site.

Now I recognize the extraordinary sensitivities around 9/11. You know, I've met with the families of 9/11 victims in the past. I can only imagine the continuing pain and anguish and sense of loss that they may go through. And tomorrow we as Americans will be joining them in prayer and remembrance.

But I go back to what I said earlier: we are not at war with Islam. We are at war with terrorist organizations that have distorted Islam, or falsely used the banner of Islam to engage in their acts. And we've got to be clear about that. We've got to be clear about that because if we are going to deal with the problems that Henry was talking about, if we're going to successfully reduce the terrorist threat, then we need all the allies we can get.

The folks who are most interested in a war between the United States or the West and Islam are al Qaeda. That's what they've been banking on.

And fortunately the overwhelming majority of Muslims around the world are peace-loving. Are interested in the same things you and I are interested in: How do I make sure I get a good job. How can I make sure that my kids get a decent education. How can I make sure I'm safe. How can I improve my lot in life.

And so, they have rejected this violent ideology for the most part. Overwhelmingly.

And so from a national security interest, we want to be clear about who the enemy is here. It's a handful, a tiny minority of people who are in engaging in horrific acts. And who have killed Muslims more than anyone else. The other reason it's important for us to remember that, is because we've got millions of Muslim-Americans, our fellow citizens, in this country. They're going to school with our kids. They're our neighbors, they're our friends, they're our co-workers.

And when we start acting as if their religion is somehow offensive. What are we saying to them?

I've got Muslims who are fighting in Afghanistan in the uniform of the United States armed services. They're out there putting their lives on the line for us. And we've got to make sure that we are crystal clear, for our sakes and their sakes, they are Americans. And we honor their service. And part of honoring their service is making sure that they understand that we don't differentiate between them and us.

It's just us.

And that is a principle that I think is going to be very important for us to sustain and I think tomorrow is an excellent time for us to reflect on that.