Hillary Clinton may have taken a false step on the hot-button issue of outreach to American Muslims.
During Saturday night's Democratic debate in New Hampshire, Clinton opposed Republican "demonization" of Muslims, but did so on the grounds that Muslim-American communities could and should act as "partners" in seeking out terrorists.
Muslim-American communities could be the government's "early warning signal" for terror, Clinton said.
"We have to work with [Muslims] not demonize them like the Republicans are doing," Clinton said.
Clinton said she feared that openly anti-Muslim sentiments from candidates including Donald Trump would fan the flames of radicalization in America. Trump has called for a widely reviled ban on Muslims entering the country, which drew opposition and rebuke from everyone including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to former Vice President Dick Cheney to the CEO of Google.
At the debate, Clinton criticized Trump's aggressive stance on Muslim immigration, arguing that it would create radicalization among Muslims who would feel alienated from America. Trump "has become ISIS's biggest recruiter," she said. "They are going to people, showing videos of Donald Trump insulting [Muslims]."
That claim, however, does not hold up.
No evidence for Clinton claim that ISIS is already showing Trump in recruiting videos https://t.co/NVzR4YOHmE pic.twitter.com/56lk4w1g4k— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 20, 2015
Clinton instead suggested outreach to Muslim-American communities, praising George W. Bush for doing so after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. There has been a recent political renaissance in Bush's tolerant rhetoric on Muslims.
The pro-Muslim line of argument is nothing new for Clinton, whose closest adviser, Huma Abedin, is a Muslim and signed a letter to Clinton's followers last month declaring pride in her religion. Just this week, Clinton slammed Republicans for saying "hateful" things about Muslims.
Clinton's comments, however, did not come across to some as the warm embrace she intended, because she appeared to put the onus on Muslim-Americans to root out terrorism, a job usually reserved for authorities rather than citizens.
Oh my god… Muslims deserve respect because they're people, not because they're potential "intel assets," Hillary. #DemDebate— Shannon Cunningham (@dhammicmarxist) December 20, 2015
Hillary's early warning system for terrorist attacks, ask a muslim!— David Vaught (@lebel1886) December 20, 2015
Hillary saying "You are our partner" to US Muslims misses that they are not partners; rather, they are us, citizens like everyone else.— Russell McCutcheon (@McCutcheonSays) December 20, 2015