Fmr. W.H. Faith Leader: Obama Made ‘Important Statement’ Likening Christianity to ISIS

‘Whether in the Crusades or folks who participated in slavery or Jim Crow, now we have ISIS doing the same thing’

WAGNER: "To that end, I want to bring in now, Joshua DuBois, the former executive director of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Joshua, the president's words this morning, I think surprised a lot of people. This is not the first time he's talked about ISIS, but in the context of faith. I thought it was really important and provocative set of comments he made. What did you make about the fact that he brought this up at the National Prayer Breakfast? Which is seen as a largely Christian gathering?" 
DUBOIS: "A conservative audience. I thought it was a really important statement. You know, the president did a great job, I think, of drawing a distinction between those who misuse religion in the name of evil, and the religion, the faith itself. And he said, 'Listen, all faiths have experience with those who twist and manipulate the words of the prophet for their own evil ends.' Whether in the Crusades or folks who participated in slavery or Jim Crow. Now we have ISIS doing the same thing. The president was basically saying, 'this is not Islam. ISIS represents American Muslims, no more than the crusaders or slaveholders represent Christianity.' Particularly because a lot of Americans don't know their Muslim neighbors, who haven't spent a lot of time with the Muslim-American folks in the community. And the president, I think, wanted to make clear that what we're seeing with ISIS does not at all reflect on Muslims around the the world." 
WAGNER: "And the it's also worth noting that he said the bloodshed in the name of sort of religious extremism is not foreign to many other religions in the world and brought up the subject of the crusades. Something we were talking about before this segment began. And I agree with you. I think it was probably controversial. The idea that there would have been a bloodiness in the Christian past that is in any way seen as kin to or parallel to what's happening in the contemporary Muslim world." 
KOHLMANN: "He certainly made the point clearly at the prayer breakfast this morning. Saying lest we forget being on the high horse in this having this discussion, that also in the name of Christianity, these things have happened in the past."

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