The White House has been hosting a summit on "Countering Violent Extremism' starting Wednesday which will conclude on Friday. Throughout the summit, President Obama has been reinforcing the notion that groups such as the Islamic State should not be associated with the religion of Islam, and said that "we are not at war with Islam."
"They are not religious leaders; they are terrorists," he said on Wednesday. "We are not at war with Islam. We are at war with people who have perverted Islam."
"These terrorists are desperate for legitimacy and all of us have a responsibility to refute the notion that groups like ISIL somehow represent Islam because that is a falsehood that embraces the terrorist narrative," he said Thursday morning.
"No religion is responsible for terrorism. People are responsible for violence and terrorism."
In this three-day summit, leaders from all over the world, including politicians, faith leaders, activists, and community organizers, have gathered to discuss methods that they all can take collectively and individually to prevent further violence and radicalization. Other than the President, other major figures who have spoken at the summit include Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, and U.N. Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon
The White House said in a statement that the three main purposes of the summit are to "build awareness, counter extremist narratives, and emphasize community led intervention." The summit has been expected to focus on local community engagement and social media initiatives to counter radicalization and recruitment.
However, many are skeptical of the practical changes that the summit will bring.
"It's difficult to imagine that another big meeting will move things terribly far along," wrote Stephen L. Carter in an opinion piece for the Oregonian. "As the estimable Daniel Byman of Georgetown University and the Brookings Institution reminded us just last week, nobody really knows what causes people to turn to the path of radical violence"”and so, in a sense, the Barack Obama administration is trying to build a conference around a phenomenon that is simply not well understood."
Tara McKelvey, the White House Reporter for the BBC, reported that the summit seems disorganized and "chaotic," and Jon Sopel, the BBC North America Editor, sarcastically tweeted, "White House Extremism conf #CVESummit aims to widen "the proactive affirmative preventive lens'. I feel safer already #mumbojumbo".
White House Extremism conf #CVESummit aims to widen "the proactive affirmative preventive lens". I feel safer already #mumbojumbo
"” Jon Sopel (@BBCJonSopel) February 17, 2015
The fact that President Obama has been trying so hard to detach the Islamic State and other militant groups to the concept of jihad and of the Islamic religion also further prove this summit to be ineffective, according to Benjamin Weingarten of the Blaze. Weingarten said that a more effective summit would address "the Islamic doctrine that animates jihadists both Shiite and Sunni, and the goals, tactics, and strategies set forth therein," among several other aspects of the jihadist structures and strategies.
Mohamed Farah, the executive director of Ka Joog, a youth advocacy group in Minneapolis, pointed out in an interview on Here & Now that crucial issues behind radicalization in youth that have not yet been discussed include "the lack of education, the chronic unemployment, and the lack of mentorship or guidance."
