On April 7, 2009, Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan toured the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
Obama took the two-day visit to Turkey to highlight links
between the Muslim-majority country and the United
States, and also voiced support of Turkey's move to join the European Union. In an address to the Turkish parliament, he said that the United States "is not and never will be at war with Islam." His comments were derided as overly apologetic for American policies by opponents at home.
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