2016 Postmortem

riversedge

(70,299 posts) Sun Jul 3, 2016, 08:28 AM Jul 2016

Ted Cruz held a hearing on the importance of using the term "radical Islam." It backfired.

Leave it to the Repugs to waste taxpayer money on a stupid meeting!

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Stupid Sen. Ted Cruz held a hearing on the importance of using the term "radical Islam." It backfired. http://thkpr.gs/3793983

Ted Cruz Gets Schooled On Using ‘Radical Islam’

by Justin Salhani Jun 29, 2016 3:25 pm

CREDIT: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Senate subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 7, 2016.
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) chaired a hearing for the subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday in which he accused the Obama administration of willful ignorance for failing to use the words “radical Islam.” The hearing was criticized by Democrats in the subcommittee who said the hearing was simply an argument over semantics.

“We cannot fight radicalization with further radicalization,” Sen. Christopher Coons (D-DE) said during the hearing. “We can and must defeat terrorism without sacrificing our constitutional principles and to sacrifice these principles and blame over a billion Muslims … only serves to divide Americans, to alienate the Muslim world and legitimate the murderous groups.”

A few of the experts agreed with Coons and argued that the rhetoric surrounding the battle to get the administration to use ‘radical Islam’ would not fortify the country’s national security.

Michael German, a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice and a former undercover FBI agent, said that using terms like “radical Islam” actually “puts us on a path to perpetual war.” He added, “[this language] only serves to stoke public fear, xenophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry.”..................

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Ted Cruz held a hearing on the importance of using the term "radical Islam." It backfired. (Original Post) riversedge Jul 2016 OP

Ted "Torquemada" Cruz needs to find another calling Siwsan Jul 2016 #1

It's no more that right wing rhetoric, no matter who says it. rug Jul 2016 #2

Siwsan

(26,289 posts)

1. Ted "Torquemada" Cruz needs to find another calling

Reply to riversedge (Original post)

Sun Jul 3, 2016, 08:43 AM

Jul 2016

Maybe he can become a priest in Mel Gibson's church. I suspect they would get along just fine.

rug

(82,333 posts)

2. It's no more that right wing rhetoric, no matter who says it.

Reply to riversedge (Original post)

Sun Jul 3, 2016, 09:17 AM

Jul 2016

“Like the Obama administration, the Bush administration correctly judged that the term ‘radical Islam’ was divisive and adversarial, and would alienate the very people we wanted to communicate with,” Emile Nakhleh, a retired senior intelligence service officer and former director of the Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program at the CIA, wrote for Vox. “Trump and those who echo his views must realize there is no such thing as one Islamic world or one Islamic ideology — or even one form of radicalism in the Muslim world. Many diverse ideological narratives characterize Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority countries and the 1.6 billion Muslims across the globe. To paint them all with the same broad brush of radicalism and extremism is absurd, dangerous, and politically self-serving.”

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