Europe was shocked by terrorist attacks this month in Belgium, but the response by some American politicians is just as troubling as the attacks.
Terrorist thought to belong to ISIS set off explosions in an airport and metro station in Brussels.
Authorities have said they believe five men played a part in the bombings in Belgium that killed 35 people and injured more than 300, according to cnn.com.
Some Republican presidential candidates thought they could pick up points with voters by responding with tough rhetoric.
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in a statement: “We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.”
Donald Trump (R- NY), the front-runner in the Republican presidential race, responded also with a harsh tone.
“And people from certain parts of the world, like Syria, without documentation, should not be allowed in our country,” he said in an interview with CBS News.
“We have no idea who they are, where they come from. They could be ISIS-related. We can’t allow that to happen.”
Politicians like Trump and Cruz are ISIS’s biggest recruiters. Inflammatory statements toward Muslims and foreigners play into the hand of ISIS recruiters who want to convince young Arab men that America is xenophobic and oppressive toward Muslims.
As a country, we cannot intimidate ISIS members who are willing to kill themselves to further their cause. Playing the tough guy will only make things worse.
We don’t need a president who thinks he can swing his fist in the air at ISIS and make the problem go away. We need leaders who are willing to reach out to those in the Muslim community and welcome them as allies in the fight against terrorism.
As citizens, we should support leaders who would rather build bridges instead of walls.
We should not accept intolerant rhetoric that says all Muslims need to be watched any more than we should accept rhetoric that says all Westerners should be blown up.
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