I suppose the point of the strategy of not criticizing Islam is self preservation - for people in general, and for his (Obamas) legacy.

They're extremely peaceful - no violent tendencies whatsoever - but hypothetically - in a hypothetical universe where they're an unmatured religion that has a thousand plus year history of flipping their shit and killing over criticism, threats, comics, or simply not being them - using polite language and ignoring all of their shortcomings is an understandable (but probably not effective) means of de-escalating the situation.