"When presidents say Islam is a religion of peace,” ...“the average American thinks this is crap.”

"When presidents say Islam is a religion of peace,” ...“the average American thinks this is crap.” former George W. Bush advisor Elliot Abrams. (Breitbart).

Presidents Bush and Obama both publicly declared Islam to be a religion of peace, which has struck a sour chord for many. 

Far better, Abrams said, for American leaders to ask, “Is there something in Islam that has led some Muslims to behave in a way that we consider to be terrible? And what’s the debate in Islam?” It is this last question that signals what may prove to be the most important weapon in the ever-escalating battle between the West and ISIS.

To date, American and Western leaders have preemptively shut down any debate within Islam by declaring that Islam is the religion of peace and that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam. 

In so doing, Western governments have effectively shut the door on those Muslims who dare to dissent, who suggest reform rather than radicalism as the solution to Islam’s ills. The result is that the Islamists are running the show, from Iraq to Syria to Libya to Iran. 

More here.