President Barack Obama has been criticized about his recent rhetoric in combating the Islamic State (“ISIL”). Some of it merited, some of it nothing but cheap-shot, partisan parsing. A prime example of the latter is criticism over the president’s reference that “ISIL is not Islamic.”
You can make the case, of course, that without Islam, per se, there would literally be no Islamic-State-of-Iraq-and-the-Levant label. Even if one is a perversion of the other, there’s a connection, however unfair to non-barbarians. But that’s still an outrageous, unnecessary affront to most Muslims.
What the president, whose words reach a variety of audiences and constituencies, was doing was rhetorically necessary–globally reminding would-be Muslim allies that we know the difference. That we’re all in this together against demonic evil. That, despite Middle Eastern geopolitics and disparate tribal affiliations, a concerted effort is required for ISIL extermination. Ultimately, it’s Muslim boots on the ground.
In a world where words have never mattered more, the president wanted to maximize his global pulpit by appealing to the most relevant part of an anti-ISIL coalition. It was an effort at rallying rhetoric. He would have been derelict not to have employed it.