Posted on 02/24/2017 10:14:20 PM PST by Pinkbell
WASHINGTON President Trumps newly appointed national security adviser has told his staff that Muslims who commit terrorist acts are perverting their religion, rejecting a key ideological view of other senior Trump advisers and signaling a potentially more moderate approach to the Islamic world.
The adviser, Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, told the staff of the National Security Council on Thursday, in his first all hands staff meeting, that the label radical Islamic terrorism was not helpful because terrorists are un-Islamic, according to people who were in the meeting.
That is a repudiation of the language regularly used by both the president and General McMasters predecessor, Michael T. Flynn, who resigned last week after admitting that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about a phone call with a Russian diplomat.
It is also a sign that General McMaster, a veteran of the Iraq war known for his sense of history and independent streak, might move the council away from the ideologically charged views of Mr. Flynn, who was also a three-star Army general before retiring.
Wearing his Army uniform, General McMaster spoke to a group that has been rattled and deeply demoralized after weeks of upheaval, following a haphazard transition from the Obama administration and amid the questions about links to Russia, which swiftly engulfed Mr. Flynn.
General McMaster, several officials said, has been vocal about his views on dealing with Islamic militancy, including with Mr. Trump, who on Monday described him as a man of tremendous talent, tremendous experience. General McMaster got the job after Mr. Trumps first choice, Robert S. Harward, a retired Navy vice admiral, turned it down.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I'm not worried about McMasters. "
Sounds like this TURD wants kill them with kindness. Maybe he's letting Brennan disciple him into the mooselim religion.
Nice post, well reasoned points. My post was not meant as a personal attack. I think I did not convey my meaning adequately.
I was trying to say resist the urge to say a thing is either black or white. The insight I received from watching the video is that there is a more nuanced way of looking at the situation, not because of waffling but because its actually a complete situation and the labels we are using do an injustice to the reality as perceived by the military folks with the most experience. In canalizing into one uses “Islamic terror” and anything else is a euphemism or equivocation we fail to best arm ourselves to defeat the enemy. That’s what I was trying to convey by the use of the word dogmatic.
Certainly others like McCain & Obama were not avoiding the term Islamic terror because of their nuanced views but I am coming to understand that despite being completely wrong about how to approach the problem, they, like a stopped clock, may have been right in this small particular, for the wrong reasons.
Very interesting analysis. Hopefully we’ll hear McMaster’s current views fully articulated during his confirmation hearings. What he says then, I’ll believe. What the NYT and its unnamed sources say in the meantime will continue to be Fake News.
Perhaps I don’t know enough about Muslims. My readings of portions of the Koran, the FGM, shariah all suggest that these people have a civilization that is not compatible with America or what we call civilization.
However there are segments of the bible that interpreted literally are quite aggressive and there have been/are Muslims who are well integrated into Western societies. Our allies in the Middle East say they are trying to bring their countries into a more democratic state, perhaps where Islam is less taken literally and more as a heritage?
I agree with you it is for those Muslims to show us how they will coexist and respect the non-Muslim peoples and especially the Jews.
I do not think we should accommodate our society to conform with Muslim customs on any but an individual voluntary basis. Muslim that wish to live in America can embrace American laws & customs, retaining their own culture as long as it doesn’t impact on the rights or freedoms of others, just as all other cultures that have come to America have done.
Muslim are not entitled to special treatment and I think shrouding themselves is contrary to public saftey & should not be tolerated on subways, in banks, shops etc. I stand ready to be flamed but I do not accept that their desire to go among us hidden is in America’s interest.
Glad you found it valuable.
Your phrase “a world of very relevant nuances” sums up exactly the situation that Mattis, McMaster, and Tillerson over at State must keep in mind when they speak. It’s not a matter of being a fool or failing to understand Islam, it’s a matter of respecting our allies and keeping them with us.
Mattis’ entire speech at Heritage is well worth watching, it’s also at youtube. At one point Mattis tells of a conversation that he had with Abdullah the King of Jordan. Jordan had been supplying military assistance to us and it wasn’t inconsequential. King Abdullah asked if some of our European allies had indeed withdrawn their troops from Afghanistan, and Mattis told him yes; these allies had to give in to domestic political pressure.
Mattis says that Abdullah told him “Look, I want you to know that Jordan will be there with you until the last American leaves.” Mattis says that this is the sort bond that money cannot buy. When we stand by them during the tough times they remember. I think that this was a not so subtle dig at Obama who spent his time in office betraying America’s allies and creating all sorts of lasting damage. Mattis and McMaster will share in repairing that damage as best that it can be.
Glad you found it valuable.
Your phrase “a world of very relevant nuances” sums up exactly the situation that Mattis, McMaster, and Tillerson over at State must keep in mind when they speak. It’s not a matter of being a fool or failing to understand Islam, it’s a matter of respecting our allies and keeping them with us.
Mattis’ entire speech at Heritage is well worth watching, it’s also at youtube. At one point Mattis tells of a conversation that he had with Abdullah the King of Jordan. Jordan had been supplying military assistance to us and it wasn’t inconsequential. King Abdullah asked if some of our European allies had indeed withdrawn their troops from Afghanistan, and Mattis told him yes; these allies had to give in to domestic political pressure.
Mattis says that Abdullah told him “Look, I want you to know that Jordan will be there with you until the last American leaves.” Mattis says that this is the sort bond that money cannot buy. When we stand by them during the tough times they remember. I think that this was a not so subtle dig at Obama who spent his time in office betraying America’s allies and creating all sorts of lasting damage. Mattis and McMaster will share in repairing that damage as best that it can be.
Not sure if McMaster is anti-Putin or misses the Soviet Union outright. His language is of a double speak employing communist moral relativism on islam while pretending he is anti Russia as a cover for really being pro Soviet
I’m half way through the clip. Mattis said that moslems have killed more moslems than Christians, Jews, Hindus, etc. And historically, that is just NOT TRUE. Now I’ll listen to the rest of it.
Okay, pretty good of course... Just historically inaccurate in that specific.
They are *exactly* like MOO-HAM-HEAD only with automatic weapons. The General is full of it.
I think he’s just referring to the current wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria rather than to the long sweep of Islam’s bloody history. At least that’s what I took from it.
Yeah - I watched several snips of Mattis and there is no doubt that he is the right man for the job. I am wound too tight due to the last (is it???) SIXTEEN ***king years of “Islam is a religion of peace and moslem terrorists aren’t real moslems” crap. Too tightly wound...
It’s very easy to be irritated and suspicious of those who spout the “Islam is a religion of peace” idiocy. I had the impression that Dubya believed the garbage that he was saying, but that Obama didn’t and was knowingly working for the great enemy of western civilization.
I don’t think Mattis and McMaster actually say that Islam is a religion of peace. I think it’s more that they only condemn ‘political Islam’ and they leave the door open for a peaceful version of Islam. It’s hard to know exactly what they think because of the nature of their jobs. When you have had to cultivate Muslim allies in a war against Muslim enemies you can’t very well be denouncing all of Islam.
I don’t believe that Islam can ever be peaceful- there are at best Muslims who chose not to kill everyone who isn’t their own particular flavor of Islam. But Islam itself is inherently murderous. And it has ignited a war of civilizations that only one side will emerge from. The West is in a fight for its very existence. Europe is soon going to be a bloodbath. It starts there. I have no idea how we will balance our relations with the Muslim world when that happens.
After considering, I think McMaster (and Mattis) know what Islam is, but are speaking in a military strategy way, which is not the same at all as giving a 360 definition or assessment of the whole of Islam.
BTTT
Kind of depends on who he thinks the bad guys are doesn't it?
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