---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans understand we fight not a…"
description: "\"Americans understand we fight not a religion; ours is not a campaign against the Muslim faith. Ours is a campaign against evil.\" — George W. Bush"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/george-w-bush-64_americans_americans-understand-we-fight-not-a-reli_2801239.jpg"
---

#  Americans understand we fight not a religion; ours is not…

![“Americans understand we fight not a religion; ours is not a campaign against the Muslim faith. Ours is a campaign against evil.” quote by George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/george-w-bush-64_americans_americans-understand-we-fight-not-a-reli_2801239.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/george-w-bush-64_americans_americans-understand-we-fight-not-a-reli_2801239.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/george-w-bush-64_americans_americans-understand-we-fight-not-a-reli_2801239.jpg)

> “Americans understand we fight not a religion; ours is not a campaign against the Muslim faith. Ours is a campaign against evil.”

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He says the fight targets evil, not a religion, separating faith from conflict.

**In simple terms:** The war is against evil, not Muslims.

Key Takeaway

Focus on combating wrongdoing, not religion.

Themes

politics religion conflict

Mood

serious reflective

Type

political ethical

When to use this quote

- policy debate
- interfaith dialogue
- media coverage

Key Concepts

ethical warfare secularism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we distinguish evil actions from religious identity?
- What responsibilities do leaders have in framing conflicts?

A Different Perspective

Oversimplifies complex geopolitical motives.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Campaigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaigns/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Muslim faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muslim-faith/) [Radical islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical-islam/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-face-of-terror-is-not-the-true-faith-of-islam-that-s-not-what/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [Well, it's not all Americans. But I understand those polls. But as a result of that, that's not going to change my position. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/well-it-s-not-all-americans-but-i-understand-those-polls-but-as-a/)

[John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/)

> [No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/no-stronger-retrograde-force-exists-in-the-world-far-from-being/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries. Besides the fanatical frenzy which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/how-dreadful-are-the-curses-which-mohammedanism-lays-on-its-votaries/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/improvident-habits-slovenly-systems-of-agriculture-sluggish-methods/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-fact-that-in-mohammedan-law-every-woman-must-belong-to-some-man/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die: but the influence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/individual-moslems-may-show-splendid-qualities-thousands-become-the/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [I think most Americans understand that radical Islam can't be compromised with or appeased. And the only way we can be safe is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/i-think-most-americans-understand-that-radical-islam-can-t-be/)

[Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/)

> [No religion is absolutely perfect. Yet not only do we fight for religion, but also are we often willing to sacrifice our lives for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/no-religion-is-absolutely-perfect-yet-not-only-do-we-fight-for/)

[Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/)

> [“Nobody fights over the opinion of which book is better. So why do we fight over which religion is better, if they're all based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/nobody-fights-over-the-opinion-of-which-book-is-better-so-why-do-we/)

[Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/)

> [“People fight over religion, because they don't understand religion. They think reading a few Bibles, Qurans and Vedas makes them religious. Books are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/people-fight-over-religion-because-they-don-t-understand-religion/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [America treasures the relationship we have with our many Muslim friends, and we respect the vibrant faith of Islam which inspires countless individuals to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/america-treasures-the-relationship-we-have-with-our-many-muslim/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [There's a lot of people in the world who don't believe that people whose skin color may not be the same as ours can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-s-a-lot-of-people-in-the-world-who-don-t-believe-that-people/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [Ours is a war not against a religion, not against the Muslim faith. But ours is a war against individuals who absolutely hate what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/ours-is-a-war-not-against-a-religion-not-against-the-muslim-faith-but/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [America rejects bigotry. We reject every act of hatred against people of Arab background or Muslim faith America values and welcomes peaceful people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/america-rejects-bigotry-we-reject-every-act-of-hatred-against-people/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

## More by George W. Bush

> [Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/throughout-our-history-the-words-of-the-declaration-have-inspired/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [We will make sure our troops have all that is necessary to complete their missions. That's why I went to the Congress last September…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-will-make-sure-our-troops-have-all-that-is-necessary-to-complete/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible - and no one can now doubt the word of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/for-diplomacy-to-be-effective-words-must-be-credible-and-no-one-can/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/you-can-fool-some-of-the-people-all-the-time-and-those-are-the-ones/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [If you take all the food aid, America is by far the most generous country. If you take the direct aid, we're very generous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-you-take-all-the-food-aid-america-is-by-far-the-most-generous/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [The tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-tyrant-has-fallen-and-iraq-is-free/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [“One of our energy strategies is to increase the CAFE standards to 35 miles per hour..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/one-of-our-energy-strategies-is-to-increase-the-cafe-standards-to-35/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [There's a lot that I want to accomplish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-s-a-lot-that-i-want-to-accomplish/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [My answer is bring 'em on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/my-answer-is-bring-em-on/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [As Americans, we want peace - we work and sacrifice for peace. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/as-americans-we-want-peace-we-work-and-sacrifice-for-peace-but-there/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Chanukah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-couldn-t-imagine-somebody-like-osama-bin-laden-understanding-the/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

[Explore all 1,717 George W. Bush quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

## More Americans quotes

> [“People – Americans, mostly – realise how attached they are to material comforts when they arrive in India.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-william-roberts/people-americans-mostly-realise-how-attached-they-are-to-material/)

Paul William Roberts

> [Music has an intrinsic value that touches Americans - they love their music, and want more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-rosen/music-has-an-intrinsic-value-that-touches-americans-they-love-their/)

[Hilary Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-rosen/)

> [Americans are very friendly and very suspicious, that is what Americans are and that is what always upsets the foreigner, who deals with them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/americans-are-very-friendly-and-very-suspicious-that-is-what/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/)

[Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/)

> [Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food, nobody looks twice when it comes to their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/just-because-the-americans-are-so-good-at-rattling-out-accessible-and/)

[Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/)

> [My parents don't care what Americans think of us; we just care what the other Indian people in our community think of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himanshu-suri/my-parents-don-t-care-what-americans-think-of-us-we-just-care-what/)

[Himanshu Suri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himanshu-suri/)

> [When Americans, who have no idea who I am, laugh at my jokes, it's exactly the same if someone loves you even if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gad-elmaleh/when-americans-who-have-no-idea-who-i-am-laugh-at-my-jokes-it-s/)

[Gad Elmaleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gad-elmaleh/)

> [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [We Americans tend to be a prodigal lot. We are as careless with our personal resources as we are with the resources of nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-crook-de-camp/we-americans-tend-to-be-a-prodigal-lot-we-are-as-careless-with-our/)

[Catherine Crook de Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-crook-de-camp/)

> [Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/americans-will-put-up-with-anything-provided-it-doesn-t-block-traffic/)

[Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/)

> [Most Americans believe in fairness; we believe that people should work hard but there should be a safety net. We believe in saving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-maclean/most-americans-believe-in-fairness-we-believe-that-people-should-work/)

[Nancy MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-maclean/)

> [“Using a wide variety of media, we could demonstrate for our fellow Americans their anxieties, desires, insufficiencies, and frustrations--and how to assuage them all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-ferris/using-a-wide-variety-of-media-we-could-demonstrate-for-our-fellow/)

[Joshua Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-ferris/)

> [The Americans say that we are ungrateful-but I ask them for heaven's sake, what should we be grateful to them for-for murdering our fathers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walker/the-americans-say-that-we-are-ungrateful-but-i-ask-them-for-heaven-s/)

[David Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walker/)

> [So many Korean Americans like me came to this country with the hope of achieving their own American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-steel/so-many-korean-americans-like-me-came-to-this-country-with-the-hope/)

[Michelle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-steel/)

> [You are Americans. You love this country. Together we are entrusted with the principles that represent mankind's greatest political and social achievement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tsongas/you-are-americans-you-love-this-country-together-we-are-entrusted/)

[Paul Tsongas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tsongas/)

[Browse all 1,536 Americans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Americans understand we fight not a religion; ours is not a campaign against the Muslim faith. Ours is a campaign against evil.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George W. Bush"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/americans-understand-we-fight-not-a-religion-ours-is-not-a-campaign/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Americans"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/americans-understand-we-fight-not-a-religion-ours-is-not-a-campaign/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/george-w-bush-64_americans_americans-understand-we-fight-not-a-reli_2801239.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/george-w-bush-64_americans_americans-understand-we-fight-not-a-reli_2801239.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/george-w-bush-64_americans_americans-understand-we-fight-not-a-reli_2801239.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Americans understand we fight not a religion; ours is not a campaign against the Muslim faith. Ours is a…” — George W. Bush",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "George W. Bush",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Americans understand we fight not a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/americans-understand-we-fight-not-a-religion-ours-is-not-a-campaign/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/americans-understand-we-fight-not-a-religion-ours-is-not-a-campaign/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
