The White House has wrapped up a three-day conference on militant extremism. Speaking Thursday, Obama reiterated his message that groups like the Islamic State do not represent Islam.

President Obama: “At the same time, we must acknowledge that groups like al-Qaeda and ISIL are deliberately targeting their propaganda to Muslim communities, particularly Muslim youth. Now, Muslim communities, including scholars and clerics, therefore have a responsibility to push back, not just on twisted interpretations of Islam, but also on the lie that we are somehow engaged in a clash of civilizations, that America and the West are somehow at war with Islam or seek to suppress Muslims, or that we are the cause of every ill in the Middle East.”

The White House conference hosted representatives from countries that have faced global condemnation for the promotion of extremism or repression of their own citizens, including Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.