In a remarkable show of unity – and in dramatic contrast to George W. Bush's war on terror – leading Republicans in the past two years have argued that the radical Islam is an enemy of the United States. Many 2016 presidential aspirants made this point while declaring their candidacies. This broad consensus is unprecedented. Here are some statements:
- Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida: Islam has been "hijacked by people who have a ideology that wants to destroy Western civilization."
- Ben Carson, neurosurgeon, started a furor saying ""I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation," then backtracked and explained that he meant an Islamist, not a Muslim.
- Ted Cruz, senator from Texas: the enemy "a particular form[ of Islam], radical Islamism."
- Jim Gilmore, former governor of Virginia: "radical Islamic groups seek to assert their medieval world view upon helpless people under their control."
- Lindsay Graham, senator from South Carolina: Americans "will never enjoy peaceful coexistence with radical Islam because its followers intend to destroy our way of life."
- Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas: the United States is at war with "radical Islam. ... We are not at war with Islam."
- Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana: "we're not at war with Islam but, of course we are at war with radical Islam and radical Islamist terrorists."
- John Kasich: "We are not at war with Islam — we're at war with radical Islam."
- Rand Paul, senator from Kentucky: "the West is in for a long, irregular confrontation not with terrorism, which is simply a tactic, but with Radical Islam. As many are quick to note, the war is not with Islam but with a radical element of Islam."
- George Pataki, former governor of New York: ""We must declare war on radical Islam."
- Rick Perry, former governor of Texas: "we are in a war with radical Islam—we are not in a war with all people of the Muslim faith."
- Marco Rubio, senator from Florida: "We are at war with radical Islam."
- Rick Santorum, former senator from Pennsylvania: "Islamic fascism is the great test of this generation."
- Donald Trump, presumptive Republican nominee for president: "Many of the principles of radical Islam are incompatible with Western values and institutions. Radical Islam is anti-woman, anti-gay and anti-American. ... If we want to protect the quality of life for all Americans – women and children, gay and straight, Jews and Christians and all people – then we need to tell the truth about radical Islam."
- Scott Walker, governor of Wisconsin: "If you're fighting a war, you've got to identify who the enemy is loud and clear. We've said it repeatedly — it's radical Islamic terrorism."
Several candidates also criticized the Democrats' unwillingness to acknowledge Islamic extremism. For example, Marco Rubio lambasted Hillary Clinton for not saying the country is at war with radical Islam: "That would be like saying we weren't at war with Nazis, because we were afraid to offend some Germans who may have been members of the Nazi Party but weren't violent themselves."
Just two out of the original 17 Republican candidates did not call Islamism the enemy.
- Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey: I have followed his poor record on Islamism for five years at "Why Chris Christie Will Never Be President of the United States."
- Carly Fiorina, businesswoman: "terrorists who kill in the name of Islam are subverting that religion. ... we have to have the courage to say that the Islam religion is being used as an excuse by a set of terrorists to slaughter innocents in the most horrific way possible."
(April 8, 2016)
