The recommendations are part of the Department of Homeland Security's $100 million "attempt to protect our nation's young people from extremists who prey upon the millennial generation." (AP Photo)

The recommendations are part of the Department of Homeland Security's $100 million "attempt to protect our nation's young people from extremists who prey upon the millennial generation." (AP Photo)

DHS looks to ban 'jihad,' other 'religiously charged' words

The Department of Homeland Security has proposed banning "religiously charged" words like "jihad" within the department in the hopes of preventing people being attracted to violent extremist groups like the Islamic State.

A June 2016 report produced by the Countering Violent Extremism Subcommittee states the best way to prevent an "us vs. them" mentality is to "reject religiously charged terminology and problematic positioning by using plain-meaning American English."

Department members are asked to use the term "American Muslim" rather than "Muslim American" and "Muslim communities" rather than "Muslim world" to encourage feelings of inclusivity. In addition, DHS is recommending that terms like "jihad," which translates to holy war, and "sharia law," which refers to Islamic law, should be abandoned in favor of less religiously charged language.

The recommendations are part of the Department of Homeland Security's $100 million "attempt to protect our nation's young people from extremists who prey upon the millennial generation," according to the report.

"The department must reframe the conversation to reflect this reality and design a robust program around the protection of our youth, which must include predator awareness and an understanding of radicalization. In doing so, our citizens will be better equipped for this threat," reads the report.

President Obama was roundly criticized by presumptive Republican candidate Donald Trump for failing to identify the Orlando, Fla., massacre assailant an Islamic terrorist. Obama responded on Tuesday by arguing that "calling a threat by a different name does not make it go away ... There's no magic to the phrase of radical Islam. It's a political talking point."

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