WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush visited a mosque and bought coffee for a cafeteria full of aides on Monday as he appealed to Americans to get back to everyday business and not turn against their Muslim neighbors. (Read photo caption below)In his socks, as is Muslim practice, Bush padded through the ornate mosque on Washington's Embassy Row and heard stories from his hosts about Muslim-American women afraid to leave their homes for fear of prejudiced backlash after last week's terrorist strikes.
``Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don't represent the best of America, they represent the worst of humankind and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior,'' Bush said, his back to the brilliantly tiled prayer alcove facing Mecca.
He quoted from the Quran and fervently defended the Islam faith: ``Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace, they represent evil and war.''
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has, since last Tuesday's suicide bombings, opened 40 hate crime investigations into reported attacks on Arab-Americans, including two killings possibly motivated by anti-Arab sentiment, said FBI Director Robert Mueller.
Bush's hourlong visit to the gated Islamic Center of Washington was but one stop on a crowded day when the president juggled war planning with an attempt to guide stricken Americans back into their daily routines.
The White House, meanwhile, announced an extraordinary lineup of foreign leaders coming to Washington to meet with Bush as he builds an international coalition for war.
French President Jacques Chirac will be at the White House on Tuesday, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday, and Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani of Qatar on Oct. 4.
PHOTO CAPTION:
President Bush meets with Muslim religious leaders during his visit to the Islamic Center of Washington, Monday, Sept. 17, 2001, to try to put an end to rising anti-Muslim sentiment in the wake of last week terrorist attacks. (AP Photo/Doug Mills)