Hillary Clinton explained Sunday that she refuses to use the term “radical Islam” because she believes it does a disservice to the “vast number of Muslims in our country and around the world who are peaceful people.”
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” Mrs. Clinton said the term makes it sound as though “we are declaring war against a religion,” and also “helps to create this clash of civilizations that is actually a recruiting tool for ISIS and other radical jihadists who use this as a way of saying, ’We are in a war against the West — you must join us,’” CNN reported.
The Democratic presidential front-runner has faced criticism in recent weeks for refusing to say radical Islam in light of the recent terror attacks in Paris and last week’s massacre in San Bernardino, California, that left 14 people dead. President Obama has also been criticized for not using the term.
“They won’t say radical Islamic jihadist,” New Jersey Gov. and GOP presidential hopeful Chris Christie said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “Now when you say radical Islamic jihadist, they understand, the rest of the Muslim community understands. The folks who are peaceful and who attend mosques in a peaceful way, work in our country, raise their families, pay their taxes. They know they’re not radical Islamic jihadists.”
Mrs. Clinton acknowledged Sunday that the San Bernardino massacre was a “terrorist attack.” Still, she believes it underscores the need for tighter gun control.
“We have to take account … our gun laws and the easy access to those guns by people who shouldn’t get them,” she said, Fox News reported.
She blamed Congress for “continuing to refuse to prohibit people on the ’no-fly’ list from getting guns, which include a lot of domestic and international terrorists.”
As Mrs. Clinton has in the past, she also called for comprehensive background checks for potential gun buyers.
“We need to close the gun show loophole, close the online loophole … and end the liability for gun sellers,” she said, Fox reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.