#253: Orlando: You Can’t Call It Islamist Terrorism
Once upon a time, the media labeled anyone who said “Islam is a violent religion” as Islamophobic. But after the Orlando shooting this weekend, all you need to do to earn that label is mention that the terrorist was Muslim. The shooting has been blamed on “hatred,” “religious fundamentalism, whether your call it ‘Christian’ or ‘Muslim,’” and even “the patriarchy.” One senator was so anxious to avoid the term “Islamic terrorism” that he referred to the attack as a “public health crisis.” No one wants to talk about radical Islam. Even after news media reported Omar Mateen’s pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State, United States President Barack Obama said he had no “judgment on the precise motivations of the killer.” As former CIA director James Woolsey said, “You can’t effectively fight something if you can’t discuss it.” Trumpet writer Richard Palmer explores America’s muddled response to Sunday’s shooting and shows why America cannot solve a problem that it refuses to see.