Washington, United States: US President Barack Obama on Thursday cautioned against populist appeals based on fear, in an annual religious message laden with campaign politics.

“Fear does funny things,” Obama told a national prayer breakfast, which comes in the midst of a bitter election campaign replete with sharp rhetoric.

“Fear can lead us to lash out against those who are different, or lead us to try to get some sinister ‘other’ under control,” he said a day after visiting a mosque to urge religious tolerance.

“Fear can lead us to succumb to despair, or paralysis, or cynicism. Fear can feed our most selfish impulses, and erode the bonds of community.”

This November, Americans will decide who will replace Obama in the White House.

The electoral campaign has been fueled by a string of terror attacks and the rise of the Islamic State, prompting calls to ban Muslim immigrants.