In the aftermath of the Brussels terror attacks, President Barack Obama said on Saturday that he rejected “any attempt to stigmatize Muslim Americans” calling such views advocated by presidential candidates Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz as “contrary to our character, to our values, and to our history as a nation built around the idea of religious freedom.”
In his weekly address, Obama said the following: “As we move forward in this fight, we have to wield another weapon alongside our airstrikes, our military, our counterterrorism work, and our diplomacy. And that’s the power of our example.”
He continued, “Our openness to refugees fleeing [ISIS] violence. Our determination to win the battle against [ISIS’s] hateful and violent propaganda – a distorted view of Islam that aims to radicalize young Muslims to their cause. In that effort, our most important partners are American Muslims. That’s why we have to reject any attempt to stigmatize Muslim Americans, and their enormous contributions to our country and our way of life. Such attempts are contrary to our character, to our values, and to our history as a nation built around the idea of religious freedom. It’s also counterproductive. It plays right into the hands of terrorists who want to turn us against one another; who need a reason to recruit more people to their hateful cause.”
