Gov. Scott Walker on Friday said radical Islamic terrorists are hurting the “handful of reasonable, moderate followers of Islam” who don’t share their beliefs.
The comments came in response to a question during a campaign visit in Derry, New Hampshire.
Speaking at a VFW post, Walker said he would work to strengthen the nation’s defense system, restoring cuts implemented by President Barack Obama’s administration.
Walker said a stronger military would help the U.S. fight radical terrorist groups like ISIS. He called for showing a “position of strength,” something he said the current administration isn’t doing.
One attendee replied, “Well, not with an administration that won’t use the words Islamic terrorists.”
“If you’re fighting a war, you’ve gotta identify who the enemy is loud and clear. We’ve said it repeatedly, it’s radical Islamic terrorism,” Walker said. “It is a war not against only America and Israel, it’s a war against Christians, it’s a war against Jews, it’s a war against even the handful of reasonable, moderate followers of Islam who don’t share the radical beliefs that these radical Islamic terrorists have.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil liberties organization, swiftly called for an apology.
“These types of inaccurate statements reflect a lack of understanding of Islam and Muslims that is, frankly, not presidential,” said CAIR government affairs manager Robert McCaw. “If Mr. Walker believes only a ‘handful’ of Muslims are moderate or reasonable, then he is ignoring the very clear reality that violent extremists murder more Muslims than they do people of any other faith.”
The Walker campaign responded by saying the majority of Muslims are hurt by radical Islamic terrorists.
“The Governor knows that the majority of ISIS’s victims are Muslims. Muslims who want to live in peace – the majority of Muslims – are the first target of radical Islamic terrorists,” said Walker spokeswoman AshLee Strong. “Under the Obama-Clinton foreign policy doctrine, we’ve been abandoning our traditional Muslim allies in the Middle East and allowing ISIS, al Qaeda, and Iran to fill the void.”