Billed as a “fence-mending mission” between the U.S. and Islam, Obama delivered a long-awaited speech Thursday at Egypt’s Cairo University.

During his oration, Obama quoted from the Quran as he expounded on the glories and rights of Islam, and addressed an array of issues including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, women’s rights, religious rights and democracy in the Muslim world.

“I know there are many – Muslim and non-Muslim – who question whether we can fore this new beginning,” Obama said, emphasizing that “it is easier to start wars than to end them. It is easier to blame others than to look inward, to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share.”

Obama also reiterated a statement he made in Turkey, a Muslim nation, in April. “In Ankara, I made clear that America is not – and will never be – at war with Islam… We will however, relentlessly confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to our security – because we reject the same thing that people of all faiths reject: the killing of innocent men, women and children.”

In his discussion about the importance of confronting violent extremism, Obama touched on the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda after the September 11, 2001, attack on the U.S, emphasizing that our nation entered Afghanistan by “necessity” and not by “choice.”

“But let us be clear: Al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day. The victims were innocent men, women and children from America and many other nations who had done nothing to harm anybody.”

Obama stressed that the U.S does not seek to keep its troops in Afghanistan or establish military bases there but needs to continue the fight against “extremists,” with both military power and investment in the infrastructure and economy of both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can. But that is not yet the case," he said.

He addressed the conflict in Iraq, calling it unlike Afghanistan "a war of choice that provoked strong differences in my country and around the world."
"Although I believe that the Iraqi people are ultimately better off without the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, I also believe that events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible," he said.
He said the United States needs to help Iraq "forge a better future and leave Iraq to Iraqis."

Check out the complete transcript of his speech here.