ISIS’s brutality contradicts many teachings of Islam. For instance, the Prophet Muhammad said, “God is kind and He loves kindness. He rewards for kindness what He does not reward for violence or anything other than kindness.”

If you were to tell ISIS such a thing, it would turn its head aside because it thrives on toughness. If you pointed out that its violence turns even Muslims’ friends into enemies and strengthens the anti-Islamic camp, or if you argued that it is unjust to generalize about all Western people as the same, ISIS would reply, “Let them all become enemies. We will fight them all, kill them, and conquer their countries.”

This mentality is mirrored in Trumpism. When you tell a Trumpist that regarding all Muslims as bad people and being hostile even to moderate Muslims or Islamic organizations will alienate the entire Muslim community, they might say, “Let them all become enemies. We will fight them all, kill them, and conquer their countries.”