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State of the Union: Obama on Violent Extremism

On Jan. 20, 2015, President Barack Obama rejected religious discrimination in his State of the Union address.

On Jan. 20, 2015, President Barack Obama spoke out against religious discrimination in his State of the Union address. “We reject offensive stereotypes of Muslims – the vast majority of whom share our commitment to peace,” he said. He also expressed solidarity with the victims of terrorist attacks – referencing the attacks in Paris and Pakistan – and vowed to crack down on violent extremism.

The following are excerpts from the president's speech.

“We stand united with people around the world who’ve been targeted by terrorists – from a school in Pakistan to the streets of Paris.  We will continue to hunt down terrorists and dismantle their networks, and we reserve the right to act unilaterally, as we’ve done relentlessly since I took office to take out terrorists who pose a direct threat to us and our allies.  

“In Iraq and Syria, American leadership – including our military power – is stopping ISIL’s advance.  Instead of getting dragged into another ground war in the Middle East, we are leading a broad coalition, including Arab nations, to degrade and ultimately destroy this terrorist group.  We’re also supporting a moderate opposition in Syria that can help us in this effort, and assisting people everywhere who stand up to the bankrupt ideology of violent extremism.  This effort will take time.  It will require focus.  But we will succeed.”

"We are leading a broad coalition, including Arab nations, to degrade and ultimately destroy" ISIL —Obama #SOTUpic.twitter.com/hzl7JzjRxB

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 21, 2015

“As Americans, we respect human dignity, even when we’re threatened, which is why I’ve prohibited torture, and worked to make sure our use of new technology like drones is properly constrained.  It’s why we speak out against the deplorable anti-Semitism that has resurfaced in certain parts of the world.  It’s why we continue to reject offensive stereotypes of Muslims – the vast majority of whom share our commitment to peace.  That’s why we defend free speech, and advocate for political prisoners, and condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.  We do these things not only because they’re right, but because they make us safer.”

"We continue to reject offensive stereotypes of Muslims—the vast majority of whom share our commitment to peace." —President Obama #SOTU

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 21, 2015

“As Americans, we have a profound commitment to justice – so it makes no sense to spend three million dollars per prisoner to keep open a prison that the world condemns and terrorists use to recruit.  Since I’ve been President, we’ve worked responsibly to cut the population of GTMO in half.  Now it’s time to finish the job.  And I will not relent in my determination to shut it down.  It’s not who we are.”

Click here for the full text

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