While the White House’s policy is to refuse to acknowledge Islam as a contributing factor in the growth of ISIS, many Americans and Middle Easterners have become discouraged with the nuanced, academic approach this administration has taken to address concerns over ISIS.
According to State Department Spokeswoman Marie Harf, “We cannot kill our way out of this war. We need in the medium to longer term to go after the root causes that leads people to join these groups, whether it’s lack of opportunity for jobs…” After a firestorm of criticism over the Spokeswoman’s ISIS job creation policy, Harf went on to MSNBC’S Hardball to elaborate. “If you look at the Lord’s Resistance Army and Kony, Joseph Kony — I don’t remember people talking about that as much anymore, but that’s a Christian militant group,” stated Harf.
The reminder of Christian “atrocities” in Africa comes on the Heels of President Obama’s recent comparison between the Islamic ISIS and the Christian history of slavery and crusades, which has outraged numerous Christian groups. Critics suggest that the administration ignores obvious facts to maintain their stance that Islam is a religion of peace.