On Friday's The Ed Show on MSNBC, during a discussion of conservative criticism of President Barack Obama for not using the words "radical Islam" in the aftermath of the shooting rampage in Chattanooga, Tennessee, liberal comedian and Daily Beast columnist Dean Obeidallah tried to misdirect the conversation with a debate over definitions of words as he asserted that "there is no such thing as radical Islam."
Ironically, unlike the similar semantic game played by some on the left who argue that Muslim terrorists should not be considered "Muslims" because their violent actions are supposedly not consistent with the Koran, Obeidallah surprisingly did admit that "radical Muslims" and "Muslim terrorists" do exist:
We're not fighting radical Islam because there is no such thing as radical Islam. I know people take, you know, will be angry with me, they'll write things about that. I've written about that for the Daily Beast. I've talked about it on other shows. There are radical Muslims. There are Muslim terrorists who commit things. There's only one Islam. Just like if someone attacks an abortion clinic, we don't call them a "follower of radical Christianity." They are a radical Christian.
He then tried to change the subject to gun control:
I think that getting lost in the words is not as meaningful as the fact that in America over 10,000 people are killed every year by gun violence. This man had a gun. Charleston, the man had a gun. Your guest on earlier talking about Colorado, James Holmes, killed 12 people, wounded 70 others, he had a gun. Let's talk about that as well. You know, fighting radicals, extremists, is important. Let's make it harder for them to get guns, regardless of whether they're radical on the right and anti-government radical, or an Islamic radical.
A bit later, as Matt Schlapp of the American Conservative Union argued that he agrees with liberals that it should be harder for radical Muslims to acquire guns, Obeidallah oddly retorted:
But we're talking about in America, the United States, over 10,000 people murdered last year by gun violence. What is the religion of the people who pulled that trigger? You're going to tell me they were Muslim? They're not. You know they're not.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Friday, July 17, The Ed Show on MSNBC:
DEAN OBEIDALLAH, THE DAILY BEAST (AT 5:20 P.M.): I think we know the enemy, Matt. It's called ISIS and al-Qaeda. There you go. let's get'em. I think it's pretty simple, what we're at. We're not fighting radical Islam because there is no such thing as radical Islam. I know people take, you know, will be angry with me, they'll write things about that. I've written about that for the Daily Beast. I've talked about it on other shows. There are radical Muslims. There are Muslim terrorists who commit things. There's only one Islam. Just like if someone attacks an abortion clinic, we don't call them a "follower of radical Christianity." They are a radical Christian.
I think that getting lost in the words is not as meaningful as the fact that in America over 10,000 people are killed every year by gun violence. This man had a gun. Charleston, the man had a gun. Your guest on earlier talking about Colorado, James Holmes, killed 12 people, wounded 70 others, he had a gun. Let's talk about that as well. You know, fighting radicals, extremists, is important. Let's make it harder for them to get guns, regardless of whether they're radical on the right and anti-government radical, or an Islamic radical.
(...)
(MATT SCHLAPP talks about agreeing with liberals that radical Muslims should not have access to guns)
OBEIDALLAH: But we're talking about in America, the United States, over 10,000 people murdered last year by gun violence. What is the religion of the people who pulled that trigger? You're going to tell me they were Muslim? They're not. You know they're not.
MATT SCHLAPP, AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION: This is not about -- you are missing it. You are missing it completely. This is not about gun violence. It's about-
OBEIDALLAH: It's a component.
SCHLAPP: -radical Islamic terrorism.
OBEIDALLAH: That's true.
SCHLAPP: All of the tweets and the posts and the actions overseas, they tell us every day we are going to take the Great Satan on, we are coming for you.
