Trump is a liberal creation
Re: Obama Plays It Cool, editorial, Dec. 9; Stop Calling Conservatives ‘ Fascists,’ Matt Gurney, Dec. 10; What Trump Actually Said, letters to the editor; A Campaign Trail Of Lies, Robyn Urback, both, Dec. 11. Letter- writer Gordon Akum says that Donald Trump “is concerned about a problem that is resulting in the deaths of many of his countrymen.” Given that deaths caused by guns in the United States far exceed the number of deaths by Muslim terrorists, how about a “total and complete ban on gun sales until ( his) country’s representatives figure out what is going on”? I can imagine his supporters’ response to that suggestion.
David Knight, Toronto.
While many stand in disbelief at the rise of Donald Trump, they mostly fail to realize that the liberals who hate him so much are actually responsible for his popularity. While so many are quick to dismiss Trump as an ignoramus, he is actually, smartly, filling a void created by the left. It should be noted that Trump’s plan to suspend Muslim immigration to the United States came the day after President Barack Obama stood before the nation in response the San Bernardino terrorist attacks and delivered a weak, passionless speech. Obama continued to refuse to call Islamic radicalism by its name and instead pushed his gun control agenda, despite the obvious fact that none of the gun controls he was proposing would have stopped the attack.
Trump’s comments were extreme, but so is the left’s insistence on refusing to address the problem of Islamic extremism. Willful blindness and political correctness by the left has created a place for Trump.
Jordan Turner, Cote Saint Luc, Que. The problem that soft liberals have with Donald Trump is that he speaks openly and to the point. As he is not accountable to external financing, he is free to express his opinions without reserve. Strangely, I still didn’t find anything detrimental in Trump’s statements and no particular xenophobia or fascism.
Isaac Glick, Maple, Ont. The long- term solution to the radical Islamic problem is to ban certain sects of Muslims from entering Western countries. Indeed, this does nothing to end the radicalization of Muslims already living in Western countries, or those who convert and become home- grown terrorists.
Radical Muslims are not uneducated simple- minded folk, but are educated, clever and ingenious. This is an ideological war and ideology spreads across borders regardless of any attempt to bar it entry. Where there is a will there will be a way.
The only way to end it is for peaceful liberal Muslims to fight back on ideological grounds in large numbers and with the support of the West. They must fight with a loud voice condemning violence and must redefine Islam. They must renounce ideology that is linked to the ideal of an Islamic state, to Sharia, and promote Western values of freedom and equality. Until peaceful Muslims in large numbers join the new Islamic reform movements and become the leading advocates for Western values, there is a danger that advocates for harsh solutions will get their way and cause more damage than good. Radicalization is a Muslim problem that non- Muslims cannot solve.
Gary Rose, Toronto.