President Trump’s chief strategist, former Breitbart executive Steve Bannon, once dismissed the notion that Islam is a religion of peace, describing it in a 2010 radio interview as “a religion of submission.”
Bannon made the comments on “Western Word Radio with Avi Davis,” an online right-wing radio station.
In the segment, Bannon, who at the time served on the board of Breitbart, criticized former President George W. Bush for what he and fellow guest conservative columnist Diana West described as injecting political correctness into the federal government.
Bannon mocked Bush for proclaiming “Islam is a religion of peace.”
“Islam is not a religion of peace. Islam is a religion of submission. Islam means submission,” Bannon said. “I mean, the whole thing is just, he is the epitome, he’s a Republican version–not a conservative–he’s a Republican establishment, country club version of the Clintons. That’s all they are. It’s the baby boomer, narcissistic, he wants to feel loved.”
The word Islam means submission, and a Muslim is one who submits to God. The Arabic root of the word Islam means “safety.”
A spokesperson for the Trump administration did not respond to a request for a comment before publication.
Bannon’s comments shed light on his views on Islam, just as his role in the White House comes under intense scrutiny.
Bannon played a key role in designing and implementing Trump’s executive order banning citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States, suspending the US refugee admissions program for four months, and indefinitely banning Syrian refugees from being relocated to the US.
Over the weekend, Trump signed another executive order elevating Bannon, a political strategist, to a principal position on the National Security Council, in a break from prior administration’s practice.
This article has been updated to clarify the definition of Islam.
