Fox Ignores Obama's Condemnation Of The Islamic State To Falsely Claim He Hasn't Called The Group Terrorists

Obama: “ISIL Is A Terrorist Organization, Pure And Simple”

Written by Rachel Calvert

Published

Fox News' Andrea Tantaros and Ainsley Earhardt criticized President Obama for not condemning the Islamic State as a terrorist organization, ignoring his administration's numerous statements denouncing the group as a terrorist organization that must be destroyed.

On the February 4 edition of Fox's Outnumbered, Tantaros and Earhardt claimed Obama has not spoken out strongly against the Islamic State.  Earhardt also accused Obama of not calling the group terrorists:

EARHARDT: As a Christian, I would want to stand up for Jesus Christ and what he died on the cross for. If I were Muslim I would stand up for what the Koran says, teaching and civility and love one another. But the Koran does not teach this. Moderates need to come forward and talk about this -- This is a president, Andrea you have to remember,won't even call  them terrorist. This barbaric it is evil, there is evil in the world and every religion will teach that. It is evil, it is barbaric and it is so hard to watch. And this is burning a human being, a child of God's, alive. Someone needs to stand up and say something. If our president doesn't want to call this terrorism, I don't know what is.

But the White House has called the Islamic State terrorists numerous times.  

In a September 2014 speech, Obama condemned the actions of the Islamic State and explained his plan to “degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group known as ISIL.” Obama also explained that “ISIL is not 'Islamic,'” noting that no religion condones violence against innocents:

Now let's make two things clear:  ISIL is not “Islamic.”  No religion condones the killing of innocents.  And the vast majority of ISIL's victims have been Muslim.  And ISIL is certainly not a state.  It was formerly al Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq, and has taken advantage of sectarian strife and Syria's civil war to gain territory on both sides of the Iraq-Syrian border.  It is recognized by no government, nor by the people it subjugates.  ISIL is a terrorist organization, pure and simple.  And it has no vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way. 

In January, White House spokesperson Eric Schultz reaffirmed the Obama administration's position, saying that “ISIL is a terrorist group.” After the Islamic State murdered the captive Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, the White House press secretary's office released a statement condemning “the heinous murder of Japanese citizen and journalist Kenji Goto by the terrorist group ISIL.”