MSNBC host Joy Reid has been shredded as an Islamophobe by US Rep. Ilhan Omar and other progressives after comparing the president’s supposed “radicalization” of young supporters to “the way Muslims act.”
“Leaders, let’s say in the Muslim world, talk a lot of violent talk and encourage their supporters to be willing to commit violence… in order to win against whoever they decide is the enemy,” Reid mused on her new show, ‘The ReidOut,’ on Monday night. “They are radicalizing those people, particularly when they’re radicalizing young people. That’s how we talk about the way Muslims act.”
When you see what Donald Trump is doing, is that any different from what we describe as radicalizing people?
The segment, which was filmed with a panel of three guests, soon triggered a backlash online, prompting Congresswoman Ilhan Ohar (D-Minnesota) to slam Reid for “casual Islamophobia,” calling her comments “hurtful and dangerous.” Several other commenters also weighed in with similar condemnation.
Honestly, this kinda of casual Islamophobia is hurtful and dangerous. We deserve better and an apology for the painful moment for so many Muslims around our country should be forthcoming. https://t.co/megnZyL9dd
I now see why Joy Reid is trending.There are literally hundreds of ways of talking about radicalization without invoking Islam or Muslims.Why is MSNBC still on air? https://t.co/cbUP9YbkoF
Muslim Advocates, an NGO that describes itself as a civil rights group, issued a statement urging Reid to “apologize on air,” saying her remarks were part of a “longstanding pattern” of “anti-Muslim sentiments.”
Last night @JoyAnnReid said on air that Muslims are violent extremists. This anti-Muslim smear invites white nationalist violence against our community. Reid and MSNBC must apologize and commit to meet with Muslim leaders: https://t.co/65R3k17B7H
Reid herself soon stepped into the fray, observing that while there had been “some thoughtful commentary” about the controversial Monday night segment, there was also “willful distortion of the points I tried to make yesterday,” vowing to discuss the issue more on Wednesday’s show.
There’s been some thoughtful commentary but also some willful distortion of the points I tried to make yesterday. We’ll discuss in more depth tomorrow on the show! https://t.co/IQhdZnyLak
Some netizens stood behind the MSNBC host, arguing Omar and other critics were “missing the point,” and that Reid simply tried to note a double standard between “radical behavior” carried out by Muslims versus Christians. Many detractors remained unconvinced, however, sticking by Omar’s original critique and insisting Reid made an overly broad comparison and implied Muslims as a whole are especially prone to ‘radicalization.’
Sweet mercy you people are missing the point. She is pointing out the double standard in calling certain behavior radical when it’s committed by Muslims but not when it’s committed by Christians.
I believe this is a true statement, said with haste. Some Muslim leaders radicalize their followers, we call it radicalization when we see it, shouldn’t that be happening when Republican leaders do the same?
I think Ilhan’s point is, she could have said “Isis is using rhetoric…” or “al Qaeda is…” instead of “Muslims.” That would have been far more accurate and meaningful.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
