Why Obama won’t call terror fight a war on radical Islam
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Fareed Zakaria interviews President Obama
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CNN
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President Barack Obama once again refused to label the fight against terrorism as a war on radical Islam or any kind of “religious war,” insisting that such labels hurt efforts to root out radical ideologies in Muslim communities.
Obama also cautioned against the risk of overplaying the threat of terror groups and said the U.S. should instead align itself with the overwhelming majority of Muslims who reject the radical ideology and tactics of terrorist groups like ISIS and al Qaeda.
“I don’t quibble with labels. I think we all recognize that this is a particular problem that has roots in Muslim communities,” Obama said in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria. “But I think we do ourselves a disservice in this fight if we are not taking into account the fact that the overwhelming majority of Muslims reject this ideology.”
Republicans have criticized Obama in recent weeks for refusing to label the terror threat the U.S. and the West faces as Islamic extremism or rooted in radical Islam. Obama stuck to condemning the terrorism and violent extremism in the wake of terror attacks in Sydney and Paris carried out by jihadists.
“We are in a religious war with radical Islamists,” Sen. Lindsey Graham proclaimed on Fox News earlier this month. “When I hear the President of the United States and his chief spokesperson failing to admit that we’re in a religious war, it really bothers me.”
But Obama said the U.S. needs to be wary of handing terrorists “the victory of overinflating” their actions and the threat they pose to the U.S.
Obama emphasized that while he is mindful of the “terrible costs of terrorism,” terror groups aren’t an “existential threat to the United States or the world order.”
“The truth of the matter is that they can do harm. But we have the capacity to control how we respond in ways that do not undercut what’s the essence of who we are. That means that we don’t torture, for example, and thereby undermine our values and credibility around the world,” Obama said. “It means that we don’t approach this with a strategy of sending out occupying armies and playing whack-a-mole wherever a terrorist group appears because that drains our economic strength and it puts enormous burdens on our military.”
The U.S. needs to instead keep its response “surgical,” Obama said, to address the specific threat the U.S. faces without alienating the majority of Muslims who are peaceful and reject extremism – those who “have embraced a nihilistic, violent, almost medieval interpretation of Islam.”
Photos: President Obama visits India
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U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama fold their hands together in a traditional Indian greeting gesture as they prepare to board Air Force One to depart New Delhi on Tuesday, January 27.
Photos: President Obama visits India
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Obama greets guests after speaking on U.S.-India relations during a town hall event at Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi on January 27.
Photos: President Obama visits India
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Guests use cell phones to record Obama as he speaks at the town hall event on January 27.
Photos: President Obama visits India
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Obama speaks at Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi on January 27.
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The Obamas meet with Kailash Satyarthi, third from right, and his family in New Delhi on January 27. Satyarthi, a children's rights advocate, shared the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize with Malala Yousafzai.
Photos: President Obama visits India
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Obama participate in the India-U.S. Business Summit in New Delhi on Monday, January 26.
Photos: President Obama visits India
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Obama waves to the crowd as he walks with Modi, left, and first lady Michelle Obama after the annual Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 26.
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Modi talks with Obama as they watch jets fly overhead during the Republic Day parade on January 26.
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Indian soldiers march in formation down Rajpath Boulevard during the Republic Day parade on January 26.
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Obama waves as he arrives at the Republic Day parade on January 26.
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Obama greets actor Kal Penn at a receiving line before a state dinner at Rashtrapati Bhawan, the presidential palace in New Delhi, on Sunday, January 25.
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U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, arrives for the state dinner in New Delhi on January 25.
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Obama and Modi sit down for tea after a stroll in the gardens of Hyderabad House on January 25.
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Obama and Modi walk in the gardens of the Hyderabad House.
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Obama and Modi hug after they jointly addressed the media.
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Obama and Modi walk into Hyderabad House for a meeting.
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Obama participates in a tree planting ceremony at Raj Ghat, the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial.
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Obama offers a floral tribute at the site where Indian independence icon Mahatma Gandhi was cremated in New Delhi.
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Modi hugs Obama after Obama's arrival in New Delhi.
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Obama shakes hands with Modi as first lady Michelle Obama stands beside them upon arrival at the Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi.