WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama today appealed to Americans to stand by the nation's belief in religious tolerance.

Obama's comments at a White House news conference come as a Florida pastor threatened to burn the Muslim holy book on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. A debate is also raging over whether an Islamic center should be built near the site of the attacks in New York City.

Obama says the public must remember that the country's enemy is not Islam, but al-Qaida and other extremist groups. He says Americans can't turn on each other and let their fears lead to division.