By Jonathan Russell, who is Head of Policy for the anti-radicalization think tank Quilliam. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer.
(CNN) With his comments, Donald Trump has confirmed that he is not a serious presidential candidate. If he were serious, he would know that preventing radicalization, extremism and terrorism is more important than soundbites, more complex than profiling, and more in need of a human rights-based approach than he seems able to contemplate.
America is hurting following the worst terrorist attack on its soil since 9/11. Trump knows he can exploit this hurt politically, and his advisers will have told him that when he talks tough, he polls well. Perhaps, then, it is more apt to say Trump is serious about winning an election, even if he is not serious about being president.
The next U.S. President must consider radicalization of American Muslims an important issue for U.S. national security and must admit that it is more complex than Muslim immigration. The online communications strategy of ISIS means that American Muslims, once less vulnerable to jihadist recruitment than their European counterparts, are now part of that terrorist group’s target audience.
Categories: America, Americas, Counter Terrorism, Domestic Terrorism, terror, Terrorism, The Muslim Times, USA, War On Terror