How Obama thinks about Islam and terrorism: Why he chooses his words so carefully.

William Saletan’s analysis of the careful and nuanced thoughts behind Obama’s recent speeches on Islam and terrorism – his take on the 10 points of Obama’s strategy:

1. Today’s terrorism is overwhelmingly Muslim, and its roots pervade the Muslim world.
2. Our enemies want us to associate them with Islam.
3. We must choose our language to thwart the enemy’s strategy.
4. The links between Islam and terrorism are partial, manufactured, and severable.
5. The president should bend over backward not to call out Muslims for terrorism.
6. The enemy isn’t Islam or religion. The enemy is religious violence.
7. We should talk about Muslim victims of terrorism.
8. We should talk about Muslims who fight terrorism.
9. Muslims have a greater responsibility to fight terrorism, because they have a greater stake in it.
10. The rest of us need the help of Western Muslims.

Worth reading and sharp contrast to the Canadian government approach of playing politics (where the only public point of agreement appears to be the first one).

How Obama thinks about Islam and terrorism: Why he chooses his words so carefully..