Former President George W. Bush defended his post-September 11 approach to Islam during a conversation with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, recalling how he sought to prevent Muslim Americans from being blamed for the terrorist attacks.

During the discussion, Rice asked Bush about his decision to visit an Islamic center shortly after the attacks and his efforts to reassure Muslim Americans that they were not responsible for the actions of the terrorists. Bush said he had deliberately tried to establish a distinction between Islam and the extremists who carried out the attacks.

“I also made it clear that Islam was a religion of peace, not a religion of war, and that these people subverted their religion,” Bush said.

Bush was referring to the message he delivered in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Six days after the attacks, he visited the Islamic Center of Washington and publicly rejected the idea that Muslim Americans should be blamed for the actions of al-Qaida. He also said at the time that “Islam is peace” and described Islam as a faith practiced by millions of people around the world.

The former president’s comments have drawn renewed scrutiny because of the changing national debate over terrorism, Islam and U.S. foreign policy in the 25 years since the attacks. Bush’s approach was intended to distinguish ordinary Muslims from Islamist terrorists and prevent retaliation against Muslim Americans, while his administration simultaneously launched a global campaign against al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations.

The debate over Bush’s characterization of Islam remains contentious. Pew Research Center reported this month that Americans’ views of Islam have become more negative and more politically polarized since the years immediately following 9/11. In January 2026, 51% of U.S. adults surveyed said Islam was more likely than other religions to encourage violence, compared with 27% in 2002.

Bush also reflected on the broader lessons of 9/11 during the Dallas event, saying Americans sometimes fail to recognize how developments overseas can affect national security at home. “What happens overseas matters to our national security at home,” he said.

The discussion came as the United States marked 25 years since the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and fundamentally changed American foreign and domestic policy. Bush’s comments offered a reminder of how his administration sought to balance the fight against Islamist terrorism with efforts to prevent the attacks from becoming a broader conflict with Muslim Americans.