In the OBSERVER’s View, “Murderers must be destroyed” (March 25), this newspaper criticizes President Obama because after the recent bombings in Belgium, he “still will not refer to the threat as ‘Islamic terrorism.'”

I suggest it is laudable rather than deplorable that our president refuses to discuss terrorism in terms that vilify all the practitioners of a major world religion, based on the murderous and unsanctioned actions of an extremist few. Attaching a religious label to groups that commit terrorism, falsely implies that the perpetrators’ actions are legitimate reflections of the tenets of their faith, rather than being a gross perversion of them.

When members of Christian fundamentalist sects bomb abortion clinics or commit violent racist or homophobic acts based on religious convictions, no one refers to them as “Christian terrorists.” Rather, it is widely understood that their actions and interpretations of faith are not endorsed or shared by their mainstream co-religionists.

The vast majority of the Islamic faithful coexist peacefully, here and abroad, with people of other cultures and religious beliefs. They do not deserve to be treated with fear, suspicion and hostility based solely on their religion. In fact, other Muslims are often the victims of ISIS-related attacks.

According to a report in Time magazine (April 4), the largest number of victims of ISIS-claimed attacks in 2016 have been in the predominantly Muslim countries of Egypt (316), Yemen (266), Libya (160), and Turkey (135). The non-Muslim country with the most victims so far this year is France (130). ISIS does not discriminate; it is an equal opportunity terrorist organization.

Politicians who engage in fear-mongering against an entire group based on religion or ethnicity risk sparking violence against innocent, law-abiding citizens. At the very least, suggestions such as the recent one from Ted Cruz calling for increased surveillance of American Muslim communities would likely be counterproductive in terms of domestic safety, according to the immediate rebuttal of several high-ranking U.S. security experts.

As John Kasich, Cruz’s competitor for the Republican presidential nomination, pointed out on “Meet the Press” (March 27), U.S. antiterrorism agencies need the trust and cooperation of U.S. Muslims who are best placed to notice and report radicalized individuals and suspicious activities in their communities. They need to be respected and reassured, not isolated and alienated.

By refusing to use the term “Islamic terrorism,” President Obama is fair-minded, diplomatic and, well, presidential. Disclosure: I am a Democrat and have no religious affiliation.

Mary Rees is a Dunkirk resident.