NEW YORK: Obama says Islam not the enemy on tense 9/11 anniversary

President Barack Obama told a deeply polarized America on
Saturday that Islam is not the enemy as somber ceremonies marked an
unusually tense ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.




Moving
remembrance ceremonies were held to honor the nearly 3,000 people
killed when Al-Qaeda extremists slammed airliners into New York's World
Trade Center, the Pentagon outside Washington and a field in
Pennsylvania.




But with thousands of people marching in
dueling protests over a proposed Muslim community center two blocks from
Ground Zero and a Florida pastor triggering demonstrations across the
Muslim world with his threat to burn the Koran, this was the most
politicized 9/11 anniversary yet.




Speaking at the Pentagon, Obama addressed the politically explosive domestic debate that has enraged Muslims abroad.




"As
Americans, we will not and never will be at war with Islam. It was not a
religion that attacked us that September day. It was Al-Qaeda, a sorry
band of men, which perverts religion," Obama said.




He urged
Americans not to succumb to "hatred and prejudice," and vowed: "Just as
we condemn intolerance and extremism abroad, so will we stay true to our
traditions here at home as a diverse and tolerant nation."




At
Ground Zero, where for the first time reconstruction work is visibly
gathering pace, a youth choir opened the ceremony with the national
anthem.




Vice President Joseph Biden and New York Mayor
Michael Bloomberg were among those attending the annual ritual of
reading the names of all 2,752 people killed when two hijacked airliners
destroyed the Twin Towers.



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