WASHINGTON ¨C In the aftermath of last week¡¯s massacre of 50 Muslims at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, it has become common to equate white nationalism with radical Islam. A typical comment came from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren: ¡°In the same way that ISIS and al-Qaida terrorism pose a threat to the U.S.,¡± she said, ¡°so does the rise of white nationalism.¡±
This perspective is understandable. Right-wing extremist violence is a major domestic threat. According to the Anti-Defamation League¡¯s database, it has accounted for about 73 percent of terrorist-related murders in the U.S. in the last 10 years.
It¡¯s also true, as Warren also suggested, that U.S. President Donald Trump has failed to forthrightly condemn white nationalists, such as after the deadly violence at a white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. In recent years, the Department of Homeland Security has even cut funding for some programs focused on countering white supremacism.
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