Why Don’t We Call Them Terrorists?

It is no surprise that President Trump would rather focus on foreign terrorism than white extremist terrorism. His favorite phrase may actually be “radical Islam terrorists.” In my previous blog, I talked about the new immigration ban the Trump administration is enforcing on seven countries in the Middle East.

Keep in mind: “There have been zero fatal terrorist attacks on U.S. soil since 1975 by immigrants from the seven countries listed in Trump’s executive order.”

Now the President wants to change the U.S. government program known as “Countering Violent Extremism,” to “Countering Radical Islamic Extremism.” The program is aimed at countering any kind of terrorist attack, foreign or domestic, but President Trump apparently believes that “Radical Muslims” are the only terrorists that Americans need to worry about. So, President Trump… White supremacy is no longer a threat to American citizens?

On Monday, January 30, 2017 an attack occurred at a Muslim Mosque in Quebec, Canada. This shooting was executed by a white French-Canadian university student. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recognized the attack as a terrorist attack, but it wasn’t so easy for President Trump, who still has yet to comment on the matter.

President Trump actually published a list of terrorist attacks, which he claims the media has not covered in enough detail. This list includes the attack on the Charleston, South Carolina church, and the San Bernardino, California attack, but did not include the attack on the Muslim mosque in Quebec. Both the Charleston shooting and the San Bernardino terrorist attack were discussed on most, if not all, national media platforms for days after they happened.

These two events, the attack in Quebec and the list being published, sparked an on-air debate between CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota and Congressman Sean Duffy, a Representative of Wisconsin. During this debate, Camerota asks Congressman Duffy:

“Why isn’t the President talking about the white terrorist who mowed down six Muslims who were praying at their mosque?”

In response to the question, this is what the Congressman had to say:

“I don’t know. But I would just tell you there’s a difference, again, death and murder on both sides is wrong, but if you want to take the dozens of scenarios where ISIS-inspired attacks have taken innocents, and you give me one example of what’s happened, I think that was in Canada, I’m going to condemn them all. But you don’t have a group like ISIS or al-Qaeda that is inspiring around the world to take up arms and kill innocents. That was a one-off. That was a one-off, Alisyn, and you have a movement on the other side.”

After the Congressman makes these remarks, claiming there is a “difference” between “Radical Islam” attacks and white extremist attacks, a shocking exchange happens between the news anchor and the Representative:

CAMEROTA: How about Charleston, congressman? He was an extremist. He was a white extremist?

DUFFY: Yes, he was. OK?

CAMEROTA: How about that? That doesn’t matter?

DUFFY: No, it does matter. It does matter. Look at the good things that came from it. [Then-South Carolina Gov.] Nikki Haley took down the Confederate flag, that was great.

But you want to say I can give you a couple of examples. There’s no constant threat that goes through these attacks. And you have radical Islamic terrorists and ISIS that are driving the attacks, and if you want to compare those two, maybe you can throw another one ―

CAMEROTA: You can.

Congressman Duffy actually tried to make light of the Charleston shooting by saying that taking down the Confederate flag was a “good thing” that came out of the situation. Trying to even slightly justify or rationalize an attack that took so many innocent lives is dumbfounding.

The debate, in which Rep. Duffy challenges Camerota to name two white terrorist attacks, goes on for thirteen minutes, but my questions to the Congressman are: What about all of the terrorist attacks on American soil that have been committed by white extremists? Are white supremacists not inspiring people to hate and commit acts of terror on certain groups? Do neo-Nazis, the KKK, and other white supremacists not inspire hatred and the killing of innocent people?

Here is a list of 39 white supremacist terrorist attacks since the Oklahoma City bombing for Congressman Duffy to refer to.

The bottom line here is that white extremists who execute acts of terror are, in fact, terrorists, and they continue to jeopardize the safety of U.S. citizens whether the government wants to acknowledge it or not.

 

 

-Alexa Saffelle