18 March 2009

At a press conference in Turkey, President Obama casually rebuked the old chestnut that the United States is a Judeo-Christian nation.

"One of the great strengths of the United States," the President said, "is ... we have a very large Christian population -- we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."

In its report on President Obama's trip to Turkey, the New York Times notes that the speech in Ankara was not the major speech in an Islamic capital he's been planning:

White House officials say they still plan for Mr. Obama to make a major speech to the Muslim world from an Islamic capital in the early months of his presidency, and they were quick to say that Monday's Ankara speech was not that. There will be another, they say, in which Mr. Obama will try to define, at length, his views on America and Islam.

On his last day in Turkey, Obama visited a mosque and held a town hall with college students in Istanbul.

Obama to end Turkish visit with student town hall

Seeking to give America a fresh start with the Muslim world, President Barack Obama is finishing a two-day stay in Turkey with an appeal to Turkish youth.

At a town-hall meeting with college students in Turkey's largest city, he'll say he understands the frustrations America's actions have spawned among Muslims _ and wants to turn the page.

"We will listen carefully. We will bridge misunderstandings. And we will seek common ground," Obama told Turkey's parliament in a speech Monday.

His final day in Turkey on Tuesday also featured a meeting with religious leaders and stops at top tourist sites in this city on the Bosphorous that spans Europe and Asia. He was visiting the Hagia Sophia museum and the Blue Mosque, accompanied by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The museum _ first a basilica, then a mosque, now a Byzantine architectural wonder _ dates to 537 and is a shrine to the art, religion and culture of this city of 20 million once known as Constantinople. The nearby Blue or Sultan Ahmet Mosque is famed for its massive dome, minarets and thousands of hand-painted blue tiles.

Speaking to Turkish lawmakers, Obama praised this country's historical role as a bridge between East and West. "This is not where East and West divide _ this is where they come together," he said.

But he also said he understands the strains imposed on Turkey by the Iraq war _ and the feeling of many Muslims that the war on terror was aimed at them.

"The United States is not, and will never be, at war with Islam," Obama declared, adding that America's relationship with the Muslim world "cannot, and will not, just be based upon opposition to terrorism. We seek broader engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect."

Obama's Turkish visit capped his first overseas trip as president, which in many respects has been a European listening tour.

He told the G-20 summit in London that global cooperation is the key to ending a crippling recession. And at a NATO summit in France and Germany, he said his new strategy for Afghanistan reflects extensive consultation.

In Ankara, Turkey's capital, Obama told lawmakers their country can help ensure Muslims and the West listen to each other.

Obama has personal ties to Islam. His father was a Muslim Kenyan, and Obama lived as a child in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. He told lawmakers that he knows Americans have been enriched by their country's Muslim heritage _ "I know, because I am one of them."