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‘Response from Senator Feingold'
I write in response to your September 15 editorial, “Politically correct, for the terrorists.” The editorial misses the point I made when I called on the administration to stop using the term “Islamic fascism.”
I agree with the Daily News that we certainly shouldn't care about offending al Qaeda, its affiliates, and its sympathizers. There may not be words bad enough for those terrorists. But we risk offending peaceful Muslims around the world by using this phrase linking their religion with fascism. In fact, when Karen Hughes, the President's own Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy, was asked about this phrase, she said she doesn't “use religious terms because I'm afraid that people do hear them wrongly around the world.” The phrase doesn't even make sense -fascist ideology doesn't have anything to do with the way global terrorist networks think or operate.
Fighting the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 is our top priority. But using loaded and inaccurate terminology offends peaceful Muslims around the world whose support we need to defeat the terrorists, while showing that we don't understand the enemies that we are up against.
Russ Feingold
U.S. Senator
I agree with the Daily News that we certainly shouldn't care about offending al Qaeda, its affiliates, and its sympathizers. There may not be words bad enough for those terrorists. But we risk offending peaceful Muslims around the world by using this phrase linking their religion with fascism. In fact, when Karen Hughes, the President's own Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy, was asked about this phrase, she said she doesn't “use religious terms because I'm afraid that people do hear them wrongly around the world.” The phrase doesn't even make sense -fascist ideology doesn't have anything to do with the way global terrorist networks think or operate.
Fighting the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 is our top priority. But using loaded and inaccurate terminology offends peaceful Muslims around the world whose support we need to defeat the terrorists, while showing that we don't understand the enemies that we are up against.
Russ Feingold
U.S. Senator
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