Rylan Claxton

Professor Bonner

ENGL 1213

19 September 2022

Listening to and Representing an Argument: Essay 1

In Obama’s answer to the question of why he does not use the phrase ‘radical Islamic

terrorism,’ he claims that the idea of this form of terrorism has been manufactured by terrorist

groups of a specific religion who claim their acts are religiously backed which distorts the honest

beliefs and practices of that religion in its entirity. Former President Obama stated that this

phrase categorizes all people of said religion, regardless of what country they live in, into a

group that stereotypes them all as terrorists which he, and many other people across the world do

not agree with.

The term “Islamic terrorism” puts a very negative focus on even the peaceful and

unproblematic Islamists who are genuinely practicing their religion and labels them as terrorists

as well. Not only are Islamic people targeted, but Muslims as well. However, Islamism is not a

manifestation of Muslim piety or a branch of the Muslim faith. So not only does the term have a

negative effect on innocent Islamists, but Muslims as well who are being categorized with them

by people who do not know the difference or do not care to use culturally and politically correct

terminology.

The decision made by former President Obama to not use the term “Islamic terrorism” is

a decision that I fully agree with for many reasons. I believe that in today’s society, specifically

in the United States, people tend to want to place the blame on innocent people before fully

understanding the consequences or the contradictions of those accusations. Segregating people

into groups based off of their religion, ethnicity, nationality, or even ancestry is a huge problem

that only leads to more political, environmental, and societal issues. When targeted for reasons

such as these, people do not always respond in the best manner which can lead to conflicts, riots,

and even wars. In the world we live in today, people have more freedom to decide their own

paths and make their own choices. However, that freedom gets taken away when we group the

innocent with the guilty.

In Obama’s position, his words and his actions hold an immense amount of power over

people not only in the United States, but in many other countries as well. If he makes one

statement categorizing all Islamic people as unfavorable and inferior, thousands, if not more,

people will follow in his footsteps and there will be a constant target on the backs of those who

have no relation or ties of any kind to said terrorists. I believe that Obama handled this situation

in a very professional manner and saved thousands of people from descrimination based solely

on their religious beliefs.

There are many things culturally, politically, and religiously incorrect with the term

“Islamic terrorists” which targets innocent people of a specific religion based on the cruel and

dehumanizing acts of terrorist groups of the same religion who claim their acts are backed by

Islamic beliefs. Former President Obama’s decision to refuse using that term makes an immense

difference in the lives of innocent Islamists and Muslims all over the world who have been

negatively targeted by people who categorize these innocents with the proven guilty terrorists.