Has our president paused to wonder why his campaign and election have coincided with such attacks?

In Virginia, where I live, a Muslim teenager was killed last month as she walked with friends near their mosque. It was a horrific and senseless crime that has deeply shaken the community. Police think the killing grew out of a “road rage” dispute, but how could you blame Muslims for fearing that she was targeted for her faith? And how could you blame Muslims for grieving that the Republican candidate for governor of Virginia has not been able to bring himself to renounce the support he had sought from a local Republican leader who works for ACT for America?

The campaign against sharia reflects, at best, a deep misunderstanding of what sharia is and, at worst, a willingness to blame all Muslims for the heinous acts of those few who brutalize others in the name of Islam. Such misplaced blame can lead to piling tragedy upon tragedy.