A June 9 report from the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council highlighted the importance of using "American English" in fighting terrorism versus words or terms that could offend Muslims.
"We must speak with honor and respect about all communities within the United States,"
the report says. "We should give dignity to the many histories and diversities within our nation and advocate for a consistent whole of government approach that utilizes agreed terms and words.
"Tone and word choice matter," the report says.
These terms should be avoided: "jihad," "sharia" and "takfir" — which occurs when one Muslim accuses another of apostasy.
In addition, the report also encourages officials to "reject religiously-charged terminology and problematic positioning by using plain meaning American English."
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson created the advisory council last year.
"In condemning violent extremism in all forms, we must also be better at communicating with the public and within government," the report says.
The document was released days before Sunday's terrorism shooting in at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando.
Omar Mateen, 29, of Fort Pierce, Fla., entered the club about 2 a.m. and began shooting. He killed 49 people, in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, before a police SWAT team killed him.
At least 53 people were injured.
Mateen, who was born in New York, was a U.S. citizen and the son of immigrants from Afghanistan. He has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
He was interviewed by the FBI in 2013 and 2014 but was not found to be a threat, officials said.
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