R'nel: Obama Empathizes With Young Radical Muslims
By Gary R'nel
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism is an outrageous affront to the victims of Islamic and Muslim Terrorism. President Obama's wanton disregard for the families and loved ones of those tortured, immolated and decapitated by ISIS and other terror groups is plainly inexplicable. Instead of waging war on the Islamic barbarians known as ISIS, the President's focus this week is to urge the global community to address the root causes that fuel potential young Muslims to turn to jihad.
In Obama's universe the stimulant for this radicalism is that we are not offering Muslim youth economic opportunities and pathways to assimilation in America. Obama even excoriated European leaders for not doing enough to address the psychology of disenfranchised young Muslims. The President urged countries to "break the cycle of conflict, especially sectarian conflict" and called on governments to "address the grievances that terrorists exploit," both political and economic.
It is true that when people are oppressed and they perceive that oppression as being rooted in their religious affiliations the desperate among them will turn to jihad. And it is true that we need to address this dilemma. The frustration is that this President is tethered to the belief that Muslim youth disenfranchisement is the unmitigated and indisputable pathway to jihad. Obama rarely speaks about radical fundamental theocracy as a contributing factor or the poetic prophecy of dogmatic and intolerant mosques or imams.
President Obama doubles down on his strategy for confronting terrorism, offering long-term social solutions. The President needs to set aside political correctness and double down on a strategy to stop the spread of the Islamic Caliphate and address the torture and barbarism directly. Obama's nightstand has one to many Neville Chamberlain primers at his bedside.