One of my favorite terrorism denial narratives on Islam is that if we recognize reality, then the terrorists win.
A former director of the National Security Agency slammed Donald Trump for his comments about Muslims, saying his rhetoric is harmful to U.S. security.
“The jihadist narrative is that there is undying enmity between Islam and the modern world, so when Trump says they all hate us, he’s using their narrative," Michael Hayden said during a talk at the Hay Festival, according to The Guardian.
This narrative is also known as reality. Or history.
The history of enmity between Islam and civilization dates back over a thousand years. The modern wave of terrorism is comprehensive and encompasses major Muslim countries such as Pakistan and Iran. Muslim support for violence against non-Muslims for religious reasons is widespread and pervasive.
This narrative happens to be reality. Recognizing that reality means that we can deal with it. Sticking to a "tiny minority of extremists" narrative means we lose.