A federal agency announced that it is seeking to restrict a number of terms it believes are politically incorrect, including some describing members of terrorist organizations. The word comes as the Biden administration continues to struggle among Arab American and Muslim American voters amid the current conflict in the Middle East.
According to the document, a number of “biased language” turns of phrase include those such as “blacklisted,” “cakewalk,” “brown bag,” and “sanity check.”
In particular, the report called phrases such as “radical Islamists” and “jihadists” “hurtful to Muslim-Americans and detrimentally impact our efforts as they bolster extremist rhetoric.”
A report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) called for significant changes to the use of certain words and phrases.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is telling officials not to call jihadists "jihadists" in case it offends somebody. https://t.co/qdT4caRiTL
— Jack Montgomery (@JackBMontgomery) March 28, 2024
The ODNI’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility created the document, which stated that phrases such as “cakewalk” have racist origins. The report stated that such a phrase reflected a “dance performed by slaves for slave owners on plantation grounds.”
The magazine, entitled “The Dive” also included an article by a male intelligence officer who describes being a crossdresser.
The report was criticized by conservatives, including House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN). Banks said that such a guide is a “gift to our adversaries.”
“U.S. intelligence officials are being trained to use terms that don’t ‘disparage’ China or Islamic terrorists,” said Banks. “Wokeness is a gift to our adversaries.”
President Joe Biden has faced a significant decline in support among members of the Muslim American community. Some Muslim American leaders called for adherents to vote for ‘uncommitted’ over the president in the Democratic Party primary.
There have also been a number of protests targeting Biden among supporters of the Palestinian cause. This included interrupting a Biden campaign event in North Carolina last week. In a separate event, protesters clashed with police outside a Biden fundraiser in New York and briefly interrupted former President Barack Obama.
