To The Point

Neither I, nor any President, can promise the total defeat of terror. We will never erase the evil that lies in the hearts of some human beings, nor stamp out every danger to our open society. What we can do – what we must do – is dismantle networks that pose a direct danger, and make it less likely for new groups to gain a foothold, all while maintaining the freedoms and ideals that we defend. To define that strategy, we must make decisions based not on fear, but hard-earned wisdom. And that begins with understanding the threat we face.

Signals of hope and resilience quickly emerged in the 20-mile swath of wreckage as Moore residents responded to those in need or helped those mourn for lost loved ones. Others who know Moore well tried to help. “Rise again Moore Oklahoma. Godspeed,” tweeted country singer Toby Keith, a native of Moore. Rep. Tom Cole (R), whose congressional district includes Moore, cited prayer as the top item on his list of what the city needs.

It has been almost nine months since Islamic militants in northern Mali announced that they were effectively banning all music.

“Is it only white males who can be mentally ill? Can’t we consider the possibility that these suspects might be mentally ill? I don’t want to stigmatize mentally ill people, but that that’s a possibility here - it just hasn’t been considered, and we have rushed to the conclusion that because of a particular ancestry, that they must be terrorists.” - Ali Abunimah

“Muslims are the primary victims of Al Qaeda-inspired terrorism. If there was anyone - if there was any community with the incentive to end this problem, as much as it can, it would be the Muslim-American community.” - Dalia Mogahed

“We don’t profile all white males. We don’t expect all 20-something white males to be apologetic and to denounce the actions of other white males. We allow them their individuality.” - Ali Abunimah