Obama 'Not at War with Islam' Declaration Mocked

President Barack Obama is defending the Muslim religion in his White House summit on countering violent extremism, saying that terrorists are not really following Islam.

"We are not at war with Islam. We are at war with people who have perverted Islam," Obama said during his conference with prominent Muslims and experts Wednesday.

For weeks, the White House has sidestepped the question of whether deadly terror attacks in Paris and other Western cities amount to "Islamic extremism," wary of offending a major world religion or lending credibility to the "war on terror" that President George W. Bush waged.

The president says he doesn't want to mention Islam when talking about terrorism because it would give Islamic radicals a tool they can use to recruit new fighters.

"They no more represent Islam than any madman who kills innocents in the name of God represents Christianity or Judaism or Buddhism or Hinduism. No religion is responsible for terrorism. People are responsible for violence and terrorism," Obama said.

The president rejected the idea that Islam is "inherently violent" or that "there is some sort of clash of civilizations."

But even as he refused to admit any connection between the Islamic State terrorists and Islam, the president said we need to "tackle" the issue head on.

"We can't shy away from these discussions. And too often folks are understandably sensitive about addressing some of these root issues, but we have to talk about them, honestly and clearly," Obama said.

But critics are mocking the president and his administration for not using phrases like "Islamic terrorism." Thursday's New York Post shows a picture of the president blindfolded with the caption "Islamic Terror? I Just Don't See It."

The summit on "violent extremism" continues today, with delegates from about 65 countries gathering for the closing session at the State Department.