If extremist Christians were going around pillaging society — as they did not too long ago in Northern Ireland, for example — no one would take offense at the president saying he wouldn’t tolerate “radical Christian terrorism.”
The public would understand what he meant, and certainly would be capable of appreciating the difference between the groups defined by that carefully crafted phrase and all the other Christians out there.
It’s time to call it the same way for Islam: Radical Islamic terrorism is a major threat to the world and should be treated as such.
If President Obama would make it clear he understands that, he could take some wind out of Donald Trump’s sails. As he stubbornly refuses to do so, he inadvertently makes the likelihood of a Trump presidency even greater.
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, seized upon Obama’s position following the evil attack that killed 49 at a gay nightclub in Orlando on June 12. The killer was Omar Mateen, an American-born Muslim and son of Afghan immigrants who swore allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Trump’s likely Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, bowed to pressure and began using the term “radical Islamism” after Trump called her out on Twitter. Obama has shown no such sign of yielding.
It’s an odd situation; the president rightly pointed out last week that his administration has killed scores of terrorists in the Middle East, mainly with air strikes, yet he seems incapable of acknowledging that essentially every one of those killed is a radical Muslim. Does he think that’s a coincidence?
“If there’s anyone out there who thinks we’re confused about who our enemies are, that would come as a surprise to the thousands of terrorists who we’ve taken off the battlefield. There’s no magic to the phrase ‘radical Islam.’ It’s a political talking point; it’s not a strategy,” Obama said.
He’s wrong on the last part. A successful strategy requires understanding the source of the problem so it can be solved. Also, there is a great importance in the way leaders present ideas.
This is the message Americans need to hear from their president: “Radical Islamists want to destroy our culture, but we’re not going to let them. We’ve killed thousands of them and will track them down wherever they try to hide. Attacks on American soil will not be tolerated, and we won’t rest until ISIS and others like it are destroyed.”
Is that really so hard?
It requires not so much a shift in our current policy — we’re already trying to do exactly that — but in how it’s voiced.
Trump knows how to make that argument, and no one could deny he is a great salesman:
“Many of the principles of Radical Islam are incompatible with Western values and institutions. Radical Islam is anti-woman, anti-gay and anti-American,” Trump said in a speech last week. “I refuse to allow America to become a place where gay people, Christian people and Jewish people are the targets of persecution and intimidation by Radical Islamic preachers of hate and violence.
“It’s not just a national security issue. It is a quality of life issue. If we want to protect the quality of life for all Americans — women and children, gay and straight, Jews and Christians and all people — then we need to tell the truth about Radical Islam.”
Would it really compromise Obama’s values to make a similar statement? Yet trying to keep Islam out of the discussion even though everyone knows it’s a key part hurts his credibility and makes voters look even more at a leader who speaks plainly — like Trump.
