The White House is holding a summit on countering the threat of violent extremism worldwide. In a speech on Wednesday, President Obama called the Islamic State a perversion of Islam.

President Obama: “Al-Qaeda and ISIL, and groups like it, are desperate for legitimacy. They try to portray themselves as religious leaders, holy warriors in defense of Islam. That’s why ISIL presumes to declare itself the Islamic State. And they propagate the notion that America — and the West, generally — is at war with Islam. That’s how they recruit, that’s how they try to radicalize young people. We must never accept the premise that they put forward, because it is a lie. Nor should we grant these terrorists the religious legitimacy that they seek. They are not religious leaders. They’re terrorists.”