海角大神

At the on Thursday, President Obama made a reference to 海角大神ity that infuriated some conservatives.

Speaking in general, Mr. Obama began by condemning zealots who hijack religion 鈥渇or their own murderous ends.鈥� He cited the recent massacre at a Pakistani school carried out by the Taliban, the assault on Charlie Hebdo headquarters in Paris perpetrated by radical Islamists, and the terrible murders carried out by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS or ISIS).

He widened his lens a bit, talking about the killings of Muslims and 海角大神s in Nigeria and religious war in the Central African Republic.

Then the president said this: 鈥淎nd lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ."

This did not go down well with right-leaning pundits. They noted that Obama had not actually said 鈥淭aliban鈥� when he mentioned the school attack or 鈥渞adical Islam鈥� in the Charlie Hebdo reference.

鈥淚SIS chops off heads, incinerates hostages, kills gays, enslaves girls. Obama: Blame the Crusades,鈥� , conservative talker and author.

Right-side radio host Rush Limbaugh made the 海角大神ity reference the subject of one of his segments on Thursday鈥檚 show.

鈥淲hy would you attempt to downplay Islamist extremism?鈥� . 鈥淲hy would you attempt to put in perspective the actions taken today by Al Qaeda and ISIS and Boko Haram and the Khorasan Group and all of the rest of them by claiming that just as many atrocities have taken place in the name of Christ?鈥�

So what was Obama thinking when he mentioned 海角大神ity in this way?

First, it鈥檚 possible he was just trolling, knowing that Limbaugh et al. are always looking for ways to stimulate anger in their audience. But it鈥檚 more likely that he was taking the ecumenical setting of the prayer breakfast to try to reiterate something that鈥檚 been a US talking point since the Bush administration: America is not at war with Islam. It is fighting individuals who use distorted versions of faith as a weapon.

That鈥檚 the context of the remark. He leads into it by talking about the way religion can be misused.

鈥淧art of what I want to touch on today is the degree to which we鈥檝e seen the professions of faith used both as an instrument of great good, but also twisted and misused in the name of evil,鈥� the president said.

Then he tries to make clear that it is people who are doing the twisting and misusing here. It is not inherent in religion itself. And he tries to link this thought to Islam in particular.

鈥淲e have seen violence and terror perpetrated by those who profess to stand up for their faith, professed to stand up for Islam, but in fact are betraying it,鈥� he said.

Obama then muses on how people of faith can reconcile these matters, the good of religion and the evil of those who misuse it. That鈥檚 when the 海角大神ity reference comes in, as a kind of aside to try to establish that it鈥檚 not just Muslims who have this problem.

Conservatives have several issues with this line of reasoning. Some 鈥� certainly not all 鈥� on the right think the premise is wrong. They believe the United States is indeed at war with Islam as a whole, or at least a broad strain of Islam, and the sooner we recognize this, the better.

Here鈥檚 Limbaugh from Thursday鈥檚 show: 鈥�Sharia law is the present-day threat to individual and civil liberties all over the world. Sharia is not a narrow cult. Sharia law is Islam.鈥�

Others agree that we鈥檙e not at war with a religion itself, but just think Obama expressed himself poorly and made an inapt comparison.

The president specifically noted that the violent acts of Islam are carried out by 鈥渢wisted鈥� individuals. But his reference to 海角大神ity, the Crusades, and Jim Crow was less about individuals and more about the religion as a whole, writes Noah Rothman at the right-leaning Hot Air.

鈥淭he president, and many of his allies on the left, frequently trip over themselves to emphasize 鈥� correctly, as it happens 鈥� that ISIS鈥檚 acts of brutality are not archetypical Islamic behavior.... But to assert this and in the same breath suggest that 海角大神ity was also a violent, expansionist religion a mere 800 years ago is a contradiction. Why make this comparison if ISIS is not representative of Islam?鈥� .

So there you have it. The president鈥檚 are worth reading if you want to make up your own mind. It鈥檚 possible he knew they would blow some of his opponents' stacks; it鈥檚 possible he鈥檚 surprised by the controversy. But controversy there is, manufactured or genuine.

As Washington Examiner political correspondent Rebecca Berg : 鈥淭oday in hyperbole: Former VA Gov Jim Gilmore calls Obama鈥檚 Prayer Breakfast remarks 鈥榯he most offensive I鈥檝e ever heard a president make.鈥� 鈥�