Date: June 17, 2016
To: The President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC
cc: To whomever else it may concern
From: Dwight Boud
Barnegat, NJ
Subject: Use of the phrase “Radical Islamic Terrorism”
I believe you are right that the phrase “Radical Islamic Terrorism” is not magic. It’s use by you would not defeat Isis. It would not make Isis less committed. It would not bring us more allies. I agree that our men and women in uniform, and our intelligence and law-enforcement officers know full well who our enemy is. I believe, however, that none of those factors motivates the criticism of your refusal to use the phrase Islamic terrorism.
When our country is attacked, we turn to our President for reassurance and encouragement. We want to know that you, Mr. President, are as angry and resolved to resist as we are. By refusing to speak of Islamic terrorism, you create the impression that you are masking the true identity of the enemy. You appear to be overlooking the fact that enemy fighters are Muslims who come from within the ranks of a broader Muslim population.
Like it or not, Mr. President, In light of your family background, early years in Indonesia, and things like your high praise for the sound of the morning call to prayer, there are many who believe you are a Muslim. Even if you are not a practicing Muslim, you appear to have great affection for Islam. As a politician, you must realize the importance of perception, and the perception that fuels the criticism of your refusal to say “radical Islamic terrorism” is that you are in fact trying to protect the enemy from a true assessment of who they are.
So it is not that many Americans believe the phrase would work magic or would defeat Isis or make them less committed to our destruction. It is all about our perception of our President and our wish to be assured that he actually wants to destroy the perversion of Islam that produces anti-western terrorism.
TheMiddleofSomewhere 