Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Laurel Brishel Prichard - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling on the media and the American people to refer to any politically tinged attack against America, not just incidents involving Muslims, as acts of terrorism.

“Last week’s attack on the IRS office in Texas perfectly fits either legal definition of terrorism, yet it has not been labeled as such. This apparent double standard only serves to render the term “terrorism” meaningless and imbues it with a sense of religious and ethnic bias that is both counterproductive and offensive,” according to a statement released by CAIR Monday.

The use of the word terrorism has been placed on many attacks that have been carried out by Muslims, CAIR argues, and attacks such as those orchestrated by Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and Texas attacker Joseph Stack should fall under the same category.

“America should identify such acts as terrorism whenever they are committed, wherever they are committed, whoever commits them,” said the statement.

CAIR Legal Counsel Nadhira Al-Khalili stressed Monday that American Muslims do not support any act that justifies killing civilians in order to further political or religious agendas at home or abroad.