ANKARA, Turkey — When President Barack Obama declared Monday that the United States “is not, and will never be, at war with Islam,” he was talking to Turkey’s parliament. But his audience was the wider Muslim world.
The president’s ringing affirmation of partnership with Turkey, which he described as a vital bridge between East and West, was interwoven with a highly personal appeal for a change in the tone of discourse between the United States and the world’s Muslims.
The speech, the centerpiece of the president’s first official visit to a Muslim-majority nation, was widely watched outside Turkey’s borders and covered live on the largest Arabic-language satellite television channels.
In a 26-minute address punctuated by applause, Obama reiterated American support for Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union.
He hailed what he described as warming ties between Turkey and its neighbor Armenia, which have long been shadowed by Turkey’s denial that the mass killing of ethnic Armenians in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire constituted genocide. Sidestepping the question of how the Armenian deaths should be labeled, Obama instead urged a full normalization of relations and stressed that he did not want to make any remarks that would prejudice ongoing talks between the two countries.
In apparent deference to Turkey’s status as a secular republic, Obama’s aides refrained from characterizing his speech in the capital, Ankara, as a fulfillment of the pledge he made to address the Muslim world in his first 100 days in office. But commentators in Turkey interpreted his remarks as a determined effort to shake off the deep-seated mistrust that characterized President George W. Bush’s administration’s dealings with the governments of many predominantly Muslim nations.
His stop in Turkey generated scattered protests, but also an air of excitement. His speech played on television in many cafes and shops. One baker created a “borek,” a Turkish pastry treat, with Obama’s image on it.
In advance of the visit, Turks pointedly had warned Obama he had fences to mend. As if in reply, Obama made a simple but striking overture.
“Let me say this as clearly as I can,” Obama said. “The United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical.”
Drawing on his own background and heritage, the U.S. leader noted that many Americans had ties with Islam through family connections or by living in Muslim countries.
“I know, because I am one of them,” he said.
Obama’s father was a Muslim from Kenya, and he lived for a time as a child in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority nation.
The president said the relationship with the Muslim world must encompass more than the fight against terrorism.
“America’s relationship with the Muslim world cannot, and will not, be based on opposition to al-Qaeda,” he said. “We seek broad engagement based on mutual interests and mutual respect.”
Online. View slide shows of the Obamas’ European
