Obama: Stigmatizing Muslims Benefits Extremists

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, in response to the deadly attacks in Brussels, stated that stigmatizing and demonizing Muslims would benefit extremists and such actions are 'counterproductive' in the fight against radical Islamists. According to a report on Saturday, March 26, from the French news agency, Barack Obama said in his weekly radio program: American Muslims are our most important allies in the battle against those who seek war and violence. The President added: For this reason, we must oppose any efforts to stigmatize Muslims, especially their tremendous contributions to our country and our daily lives. He further stated: 'Such efforts are contrary to our character, values, and history, a country founded on the idea of religious freedom.' Mr. Obama noted that [such efforts] are part of the enemy's plan to pit us against each other, [enemies] who are looking for ways to recruit more forces for their hateful objectives. During the deadly attacks on the airport and metro in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, at least 31 people were killed and over 300 were injured. The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for these attacks and threatened to carry out more. Barack Obama also mentioned that at least 14 Americans were injured in the Brussels attacks. We wish health to all the injured in this incident. Mr. Obama criticized the demonization of Muslims at a time when Republican candidates for the presidential election took harsh stances against Muslims following the Brussels attacks. Ted Cruz, one of the Republican candidates for the U.S. presidential election, called for police patrols in Muslim neighborhoods in America on Tuesday after the deadly Brussels attacks. Donald Trump, a New York billionaire and another Republican candidate for the presidential election, also stated that if laws could be changed, then more methods than 'waterboarding' could be used to obtain information from these individuals. According to CNN, Donald Trump said: They behead people and... but we cannot use waterboarding; this law needs to be changed. Earlier reports indicated that after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the CIA used methods like waterboarding to extract confessions from suspects linked to Al-Qaeda. Barack Obama had previously criticized these CIA interrogation methods and labeled them as torture. In this context, Barack Obama stated: We will continue to aggressively pursue Islamic State forces. Security measures at U.S. airports were intensified following the Brussels attacks. Ted Cruz called for police presence in Muslim neighborhoods.