House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) told reporters Tuesday that the United States is at war with radical Islam, not the religion of Islam, as the country recovers from the deadly Islamic State-inspired terror attack in Orlando, Florida, that occurred late Saturday night.
"I think there’s a really important distinction that every American needs to keep in mind," Ryan said at a press conference on Capitol Hill. "This is a war with radical Islam. It’s not a war with Islam."
Ryan went on to say that Muslims are crucial in this fight and that the vast majority of them are peaceful and reject jihadism.
"Muslims are our partners. The vast, vast majority of Muslims in this country and around the world are moderate; they’re peaceful; they’re tolerant," Ryan said. "And, so, they are among our best allies, among our best resources in this fight against radical Islamic terrorism."
"So I think it’s very important that we hone that distinction, we honor that distinction," Ryan added.
The House speaker called for national unity to confront the jihadist threat and to show resolve in the face of terrorism.
"Let’s remember that we’re all in this together. We’re not LGBT Americans, Republican Americans, Democrat Americans, Muslim Americans; we're Americans. And as Americans, we need to up our game to deal with and confront this real threat."
Some observers noted that Ryan’s comments are in stark contrast to those made by presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, who this week has reemphasized his call for a temporary ban on all Muslims from entering the United States after the Orlando massacre. Ryan stood by his opposition to Trump’s proposed Muslim ban on Tuesday, saying such a move is not in America’s interest.
Ryan also said at the press conference that the Obama administration must do more to counter Islamic terrorism at home and abroad.
"We don’t think the administration has done a good enough job confronting this threat. We think more needs to be done," he said.
This is why, according to Ryan, House Republicans put out a 67-point plan last Thursday to address a host of national security concerns facing the country, including terrorism, foreign policy, and illegal immigration.
"That is what we want to offer the country, a better way to fix these problems and prevent this from getting out of control," Ryan said.
The House Speaker also addressed current legislation that is moving through Congress to deal with the outflow of refugees from Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East to the West, telling reporters the United States must put in place security mechanisms to know who is coming into the country.
"We want to make sure that we have a security test so that we know who is coming into this country and that we have properly vetted that person based on the security threat that they may or may not pose to this country," Ryan said. "And that is also what we have passed out of the House. That bill is sitting over in the Senate, being filibustered by the Democrats.
"So we believe that we should have a robust security test to make sure that law enforcement gets the tools they need so that we actually do control who comes and goes in this country," Ryan said.