Donald Trump’s latest round of rhetoric — banning all Muslims from entering the United States — should be ignored. It feeds right into the hands of America’s enemies.
Turning our anger against all Muslims — not just radical terrorists — feeds the Islamic State’s propaganda efforts to recruit more fighters to its twisted campaign. Some recruits might travel to Syria and Iraq. Others might plot attacks on U.S. soil like the massacre in San Bernardino, California.
“If you’re killing 1,000 a month in strikes and they’re replacing them at 2,000 a month, that’s not good math,” Army Brig. Gen. Michael Kurilla, the deputy director of special operations and counterterrorism on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in October about Islamic State.
By making fear of Muslims a centerpiece of his campaign, Trump also is damaging our unity as Americans and our deepest values.
Fortunately, America has leaders who are taking a more precise aim at the threat of terrorism.
This past week, the House of Representatives voted 407-19 to tighten the “visa waiver” program that allows citizens of 38 nations to travel here without a visa. The change would require visas for anyone who has gone to Iraq or Syria in the past five years.
Without the change, European citizens who have fought with the Islamic State could return home, then fly to the U.S. with little or no screening. The requirement of a visa would subject potentially dangerous visitors to much greater scrutiny.
A Senate version of the same idea has Republican Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana as a co-sponsor.
Pinpointing the real threats is much harder than banning every Muslim, but the right way is not always the easy way.
This past week, we were reminded of what Muslims contribute to our lives in northeast Indiana.
Our news partner, NewsChannel 15, interviewed Dr. Gohar Salam, who came here from Pakistan 25 years ago. Salam served as a major in the U.S. Army for more than a decade. He now leads the Universal Education Foundation, a group devoted to clarifying misconceptions about Islam.
A gifted eye surgeon, Salam has saved the eyesight of thousands of Fort Wayne-area residents. He is just one of numerous medical professionals in the Fort Wayne area who also happen to be Muslims.
“If you want to put a complete ban on having Muslims come into the United States … that means that there would be no other Gohar Salams coming into this country,” Salam told NewsChannel 15.
Many wonderful Muslims live among us. They include several associated with Trine University, who give back to the community beyond the confines of the campus.
Trump’s ban also could interfere with exchange programs such as AFS and Rotary International that are striving to advance peace and understanding among different cultures.
We need to do the opposite of what Trump calls for.
We need to speak out against intolerance. Every race, every religion, every nation has good people and bad people.
Good people from every creed and every country need to unite in the fight against terrorism.