Trump Advisor Famous for Calling Out "Radical Islam" Once Argued Against Doing That
Presidential adviser Sebastian Gorka has long argued that a "martial" ideology embedded in Islam makes Muslims more predisposed to become terrorists — embracing terms such as "Islamic extremism" when labeling terrorist movements. But according to a recently surfaced footnote in Gorka's 2007 PhD dissertation, he seems to have had a change of heart.
A decade ago, Gorka argued that descriptions such as "Islamist terrorism" do "a great disservice to law-abiding Muslims everywhere and also add an undeserved sense of quasi-religious legitimacy to murderous terrorists that have little in common with the teachings of the Koran or Mohammed. As a result, I will shy away from using such popular yet inflammatory phrases and will employ what I believe to be more accurate labels, such as `transcendentally informed terrorists.'"
This was exactly the argument President Obama and his aides used to make for using the term "violent extremism," and avoiding "radical Islam." It was a view Donald Trump repudiated during his campaign, and in his inaugural address.
Gorka reports to Stephen K. Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist, who has said he does not consider Islam a religion of peace.
Gorka didn't respond to a request for comment from NBC News.