It wasn’t Bush who was distorting the word “Islamic.” It is all the Islamic terror groups stretching from Indonesia to Europe and North America who are doing so, if what Mattson says is true. If it is true that such groups “misuse and use Islamic concepts and terms to justify their violence,” then Mattson and ISNA should be directing their efforts toward convincing their fellow Muslims that the jihadists’ version of Islam is wrong, not criticizing Bush and others who have the great discourtesy to notice the “concepts and terms” that the jihadists use to describe themselves and what they are doing.
But what is ISNA really up to? Here is some background on that organization.
From AP, with thanks to Mackie:
ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — The newly elected head of the largest Muslim group in North America called President Bush’s recasting of the war on terror as a “war against Islamic fascism” inaccurate and not helpful to people of her faith.
Ingrid Mattson, the first woman president of the Islamic Society of North America, said Friday that labeling terrorism as “Islamic” only adds to a misunderstanding of the religion.
Mattson acknowledged that terrorist groups “do misuse and use Islamic concepts and terms to justify their violence.”
“But I think that when we then bestow that term upon them we only make the situation worse and somehow give validity to their claims which we need to deny and reject,” she said at the opening of the group’s 43rd annual convention.
Bush and other Republicans have been using the wording in recent speeches. White House aides and outside Republican strategists have said the new term is an attempt to more clearly identify the ideology that motivates many organized terrorist groups.
“I’m convinced that it is not only inaccurate, but unhelpful,” she said. “If our major concern is security, security of this country, this is a term that has very bad resonance in the Muslim majority world and makes us feel uncomfortable here.”
Mattson said her group would argue to eliminate the use of the phrase. U.S. officials, including Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, are attending the meeting.