Washington – Homeland Security Chief: Campaign Rhetoric On Muslims Harms U.S. Security Effort

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    FILE - U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 2, 2014. REUTERS/Jim BourgWashington – Harsh rhetoric about Muslims by Republican candidates in the U.S. presidential election campaign is undermining national security efforts, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Tuesday.

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    Asked about comments by Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, Johnson told MSNBC in an interview that singling out a specific community hampers government efforts to build the connections that are needed to thwart possible attacks.

    “Inflammatory comments about patrolling and securing Muslim neighbors or barring Muslims from entering this country, having an immigration policy based on religion, is counterproductive to our homeland security and national security interests,” he said.

    Johnson’s remarks come in the wake of attacks last week in Belgium claimed by Islamic State militants that have stoked security fears across Europe and the West.

    U.S. officials have said there is no immediate known threat to the United States and have vowed to work with European authorities following those attacks, which targeted the airport and a subway station in Brussels.

    Heightened concern over security has rippled through the U.S. presidential race, with Cruz calling for police to patrol American Muslim neighborhoods. Trump has continued his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.

    The rhetoric has polarized the U.S. electorate and prompted criticism, particularly from Democrats, including President Barack Obama.

    Johnson said officials have worked hard to connect with American Muslim communities to garner their assistance with U.S. national security efforts.”In this phase, it is critical that we build bridges to American-Muslim communities, not vilify them, not drive them into the shadows, and encourage them to work with us,” he said.


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    3 Comments
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    kenyaninwhitehouse
    kenyaninwhitehouse
    7 years ago

    bec. we know Muslims are good and the religion is hijacked by a tiny few

    7 years ago

    But letting in all refugees from all over is not harming security efforts ha?

    7 years ago

    The Executive branch of the US government cannot be trusted. There are so many lies that form the foundation of the policies of this administration that bringing any of them to testify on Capitol Hill is nothing moire than entertainment.

    The political correctness that has become the religious mantra of the Obama administration has proven to be completely corrupt, even deadly. It has them obsessed with viewing terrorists as victims, believing that Islam is a religion, and that Palestinians can live civilly in a civilized world. It accepts the UN to be an impartial and fair broker for international politics. Obama and the rest of his cult have never missed an opportunity to blame the ills of the world on the Republicans, while he and his partners in crime have wreaked havoc on anything American, Democratic, or moral. Never has so much falsehood occupied Washington.