WASHINGTON, Sept 12: US President Barack Obama rejected on Wednesday efforts to denigrate Islam and ordered additional security for American personnel in Libya where a frenzied mob killed the US ambassador and three other diplomats.

President Obama reminded the world that “since its founding, the United States has been a nation that respects all faiths”.

“We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others”, said the US president in an obvious reference to a film made by a US priest and his supporters who in the past have also burned Muslim holy books.

“But there is absolutely no justification to this type of senseless violence. None,” said Mr Obama while condemning the attacks that caused the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other American diplomats in the Libyan city of Benghazi.

“The world must stand together to unequivocally reject these brutal acts,” Mr Obama said.On Tuesday night, the US Embassy in Cairo condemned “the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims — as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions”.

The statement earned an immediate rebuke from the Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney who called the embassy’s response a “terrible course”, and criticised the Obama administration for apologising to violent mobs “for our values”.

The White House, however, distanced itself from the embassy’s statement, saying it wasn't cleared by Washington.

But Mr Romney said the White House could not do so as the president was responsible “not just for the words that come from his mouth, but also for the words that come from his ambassadors (and) … from his embassies”.

The Republican candidate claimed that the message that came from the Obama administration was “a statement which is akin to apology and I think was a severe miscalculation”.