Farah Pandith, a government official whose job is to strengthen ties between the President Obama's office and the Muslim communities in the US, talks to Al Jazeera's Rosalind Jordan of the challenges faced.

She describes how "conversations are not always easy", and how she is "asked to listen, and bring ideas back".

"Obama has made it clear we are not at war with Islam," said Pandith, adding that there is "difficulty in talking about foreign policy issues of counter-terrorism when what's happening affects Muslim communities."

She also discusses the Israel-Palestine conflict and how President Obama wants to engage with the Muslim community.