President Barack Obama has ended a three-day summit on tackling violent extremism, by rejecting as “an ugly lie” the notion that the West is at war with Islam. <br /><br /> He also warned nations that failing to promote freedoms and address grievances only serves the interests of extremists.<br /><br /> “When dissent is silenced, it feeds violent extremism. It creates an environment that is ripe for terrorists to exploit,” Obama told the summit in Washington.<br /><br /> “When peaceful democratic change is impossible, it feeds into the terrorists’ propaganda that violence is the only answer available.”<br /><br /> Among delegates from over 60 countries was the French Interior Minister, his country still reeling from last month’s deadly terror attacks.<br /><br /> Like his host, Bernard Cazeneuve was eager to insist that extremism should not be confused with Islam.<br /><br /> “We condemn in the strongest terms any lumping together of all the world’s Muslims, and as far as we are concerned those in France, with the actions of small groups only i
