US President George W Bush, speaking at the UN General Assembly on September 20, assured Muslims that he is not waging war against Islam. “Extremists in your midst spread propaganda claiming that the West is engaged in a war against Islam. This propaganda is false and its purpose is to confuse you and justify acts of terror. We respect Islam,” Bush said. Addressing the Iranian population, he said their country’s future has been clouded because “your rulers have chosen to deny you liberty and to use your nation’s resources to fund terrorism and fuel extremism and pursue nuclear weapons.” Bush declared that Iran “must abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions.”