Rich, I don’t think a speech that is wildly inaccurate as a matter of history of Koranic exegesis — as the president’s speech was — is irrelevant, precisely because such a speech bolsters the credibility of Islamic extremists, rather than isolating them. The population of extremists is far larger than the population of actual terrorists, and when Obama is so demonstrably wrong, that makes them demonstrably right on matters of grave importance – the doctrines that are cited as justification for terrorism. Plus, when Obama and other well-intentioned Islamophiles tell the Muslim world that Islam is wonderful and peaceful as is, it undermines their case for reform and encourages the dangerous misconception that Islamic terrorism is principally caused by something other than a construction of Islamic ideology — such as American counterterrorism policy.
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About the Author
Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.
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