Yesterday I talked about how some commentators have been trying to minimize the threat from terrorism. Today I would like to talk about how others are trying to minimize Muslim terrorism.

The most common method is familiar to all of us. Don’t use the word Muslim when talking about terrorism. Our nation’s foreign policy sounds like something from a Harry Potter book. We are fighting “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.” It will be hard to win a war on terrorism if you cannot describe and define the enemy.

There is a second method that is quite subtle but also ends up minimizing Muslim terrorism. Last month we heard of three Muslim students who were killed near the University of North Carolina. We soon found out that the killer was a liberal atheist who admired people like Rachel Maddow and supported groups like the Freedom from Religion Foundation. We haven’t heard much about him since the killing, but I suspect he would have been the topic of conversation if he had been a conservative, a Christian, or a member of the National Rifle Association.

Let’s return to the method of minimizing Muslim terrorism. After this story hit the news, one progressive leader joked on Twitter that he was “waiting for the atheist community to condemn this awful hate crime.” He then asked, “Is their silence complicity?” Essentially, he was trying to argue that the Muslim community does not have to speak out against Muslim terrorism. Atheists don’t have to explain and condemn the actions of an atheist. Why should Muslims have to address Muslim terrorism?

I would argue there is a significant difference. Nearly all atheists (like nearly all Christians) are peace-loving and value human life and would never go on a jihad. There aren’t thousands of atheist cells using the Humanist Manifesto to justify killing others.

The same cannot be said for millions of Muslims around the world. Radical Muslim groups use key verses in the Qur’an to justify killing infidels and apostates. The Muslim world does have a responsibility to speak out and condemn the killings.