Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said using the term “radical Islam” is not wise because it “sounds like we’re declaring a war against religion.”
Host George Stephanopoulos asked, “You have been reluctant to say we’re fighting radical Islam, isn’t it a mistake to not say it plain? That the violence is being pushed by radical elements in that faith.”
Clinton said, “Well, that’s a different thing, radical elements who use a dangerous and distorted view of Islam to promote their jihadist ambitions, I’m fine with that. I go after it all the time. I go after Islamists all the time ”
She continued, “The problem is that sounds like we’re declaring a war against religion. And that to me is number one, wrong.”
Stephanopoulos asked, “Even though the qualifier the radical there.?”
Clinton said, “You know enough about religion, you have studied it, and there are radicals, people that believe all kinds of things in every religion in the world. I don’t want to do that, because, number one, it doesn’t do justice to the vast numbers of Muslims in our own country and around the world who are peaceful people. Number two, it helps to create this clash of civilizations that is actually a recruiting tool for ISIS and other radical jihadists who use this as a way of saying, ‘We’re in a war against the West, you must join us. If you’re a Muslim, you must join us.’ — no, if you’re a law-abiding, peace-loving Muslim, you need to be with us against those who are distorting Muslim.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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