Just before leaving on his vacation, President Barack Obama recorded a special message for Muslims, in honor of their celebration of the holy month of Ramadam.

"Ramadam Karim, Ramadan is the month that Muslims believe the Koran was given by the Prophet Muhammad beginning with a simple word, "icra,"" Obama said in his message.

The president went on to repeat his call for a new beginning in relations between the United States and Muslims around the world.

Since he took his oath in office in January, Obama has tried to reconcile U.S. relations with the Muslim world, which have been ill-tempered since the war in Iraq in 2003.