Panama City, Florida (CNN) -- President Barack Obama told CNN Saturday that in defending the right of Muslims to build a community center and mosque near ground zero in a speech on Friday night, he was "not commenting on the wisdom" of the project.
Instead, Obama said he was trying to uphold the broader principle that the government should treat "everyone equal, regardless" of religion.
His comments were seen as step back from the support he appeared to give the controversial project during a White House dinner on Friday, though a spokesman for the administration quickly moved to clarify the president's remarks.
"Just to be clear, the President is not backing off in any way from the comments he made last night," White House spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
"It is not his role as President to pass judgment on every local project. But it is his responsibility to stand up for the Constitutional principle of religious freedom and equal treatment for all Americans," Burton added.
Obama, speaking on Saturday after giving a speech on the Gulf Coast oil disaster in Panama City, Florida, told CNN he "was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there," referring to the area near ground zero.
"I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding," the president added. "In this country, we treat everybody equally and in accordance with the law, regardless of race, regardless of religion".
At a White House dinner celebrating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Obama seemed to throw his support behind a controversial proposal to build an Islamic center and mosque near New York's ground zero, saying Friday that "Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country".
"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances," Obama said.
The president's remarks drew praise from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who announced his support for the Islamic center last week. Bloomberg compared Obama's speech to a letter former President George Washington wrote in support of a Jewish congregation in Newport, Rhode Island. CNN
