miscredenti

Il 17 settembre 2001 Bush si reca in visita presso il Centro Islamico di Washington. In questa occasione il presidente delinea la sua definizione del rapporto tra Islam e terroristi:

These acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith. And it's important for my fellow Americans to understand that. The English translation is not as eloquent as the original Arabic, but let me quote from the Koran, itself: "In the long run, evil in the extreme will be the end of those who do evil. For that they rejected the signs of Allah and held them up to ridicule. The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent evil and war .

Questo tema è illustrato anche dalle parole che Bush proferisce nel discorso al Congresso del 20 settembre 2001:

The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics -- a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam. The terrorists' directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill all Americans, and make no distinction among military and civilians, including women and children. [.] I also want to speak tonight directly to Muslims throughout the world. We respect your faith. It's practiced freely by many millions of Americans, and by millions more in countries that America counts as friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful, and those who commit evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah. The terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack Islam itself .

Se il discorso di Bush cerca di essere inclusivo e di costruire un rapporto di fratellanza tra gli Stati Uniti e la comunità musulmana, d'altra parte è evidente l'atteggiamento di superiorità con cui il presidente cristiano di una nazione cristiana giudica l'autenticità di un'altra fede.