Your task is to extract the thesis of an opinionated news article by selecting some of its text segments. The thesis is a summarization of what the author wants to persuade the reader of. Your answer should consist of segments of the given text. Note that you are not allowed to combine different sentences.

Example Input: What the Quran says about the mighty pen. Muslims - in theory - have traditions that value the power of the pen . Islam was revealed to save people from bloodshed and misuse of the sword . That is a paraphrasing of the cardinal's line in one of the Acts of Edward Bulwer-Lytton 1839 play "Richelieu" . The origin of the timeless adage is thought to have originated in Assyrian wisdom - like Islam, moral and value systems of Middle Eastern descent . However ,  the moral, intellectual and ethical systems of that region - including those carried through dialogue with Hellenic ideas in the first three centuries of Islam - have all been subjected to obscurantist and literalist interpretations of revelation . Islam's first command to the Prophet Muhammad was to "read" ; "Read in the name of thy Lord." Chapter 68 in the Quran is named "Al-Qalam" (the pen) . It opens up with the verse:"By the pen and what they inscribe." In Chapter 96 of the Quran one finds another reference to the high value placed on the might of the pen ; "Who taught by the pen. Taught mankind that which he knew not"(96:4-5) . So it should be natural for Muslims today to feel total empathy towards fellow writers and journalists and the families of other victims in France . Especially in solidarity against the cowardly slaying of the Charlie Hebdo journalists and cartoonists . Reading and writing belong to the "genus" of cross-disciplinary activities Islam insists upon repeatedly . Reading, writing and reasoning are all part and parcel of the way of life Islam is all about . In Chapter 55 we find "Allah - Most Gracious! It is He Who has taught the Quran. He has created man. He has taught him eloquence [intelligence]" (55:1-4) . The didactic ethos of numerous Quranic injunctions on the pen, knowing and reasoning, seem to be lost today in the heap of ignorance and obscurantism that is consuming many a Muslim land . Lands where scholars of Islam underwrite political power at the expense of freedom of speech and a rational interpreting of the Quran that delivers Muslims from the yoke of oppression that is consuming Muslim youth and pleads the case of social justice, freedom of thought and tolerance . The sad state of the violence that today engulfs Muslim cities, pitting Muslim against Muslim, is in no small measure the result of the over-politicisation and over-securitisation of Islam . Whole states are disintegrating , and religious and sectarian intolerance is ushering in a horrible era of annihilation and self-destruction . Islam never began with jihad (a holy war) . The miracle of the Prophet Muhammad is that he knew when to retreat(via Hijra or emigration) to build values of solidarity, peaceful coexistence with all kinds of "otherness" (such as in Medina and hostile Arab tribes), create know-how, and voluntarism in faith and membership of community, along with moderation ("wasatiyya") . Quran is the word for "reading" . Those Muslims who, in cold blood, killed French journalists and cartoonists, supposedly to "avenge the prophet" miss the point about the prophet's ways . That includes the injunctions that "Verily, this Quran guides [human beings] to that which is most just"(17:9), and"If anyone took a life unless it be for murder and spreading injustice in the land, it would be as if he killed mankind entirely" (5:32) . Satire, criticism, and cartoons will never caricature the grand stature of the prophet nor diminish the sacredness of the Quran to Muslims and billions of tolerant human beings who share countries, ideologies or friendships with hundreds of millions of Muslims . Denigration comes from the savagery of heinous violence and Manichean ways many self-professed learned scholars of Islam or self-serving politicians knowingly and unknowingly are pushing trusting Muslim youth and entire nations towards the abyss . France has historically accommodated millions of Muslims who fled poverty, marginalisation and even oppression . Many of those come from North Africa where Maghreb countries have benefited not only from remittances, but also from a vast shared space in which Muslims, Christians and Jews have learnt the art of toleration of differences . What the murder of innocents in Paris has done is inflame inter-communal trust , and like the 9/11 attacks in the US 14 years ago, it has placed Muslims in the awkward position of being either unwelcome among host communities or defending Islam . This is because of the insane acts of co-religionists whose Islam is fixated on the "sword" and has little to do with the might of the "pen" that over millennia Muslim luminaries used to connect with others, and spread knowledge - not sow death .
Example Output: Islam was revealed to save people from bloodshed and misuse of the sword

Example Input: Could Indiana Gov  Mike Pence be our next president? INDIANAPOLIS  - If success at the state level were enough to recommend someone for president of the United States , Gov  Mike Pence of Indiana would be among the frontrunners for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination . According to the governor's office, Pence has "signed into law $643 million in annual tax relief : That includes: $313 million for hardworking Hoosiers, thanks to last year's 5 percent income tax reduction, the largest state tax cut in Indiana history." In addition ,  the state corporate tax rate was reduced from 6.5 percent to 4.9 percent, making it the third lowest in the country and contributing to Indiana's increase in the labor force , which, Pence's office says, has grown by more than 51,000 over the past year, five times the national growth rate . It helps to have large majorities of one's party in the legislature , but Pence consults and has good relationships with Democrats , who frequently vote with the Republican majority because his programs work . Sitting with the governor in his high-ceiling office beneath portraits of two Indiana governors who became presidents of the United States-- William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison  -- Pence tells me he is focused on the upcoming legislative session, which is expected to last four months, and won't think seriously about running for president until the session ends . Then , he says,"We'll probably take some time as a family to reflect and pray and make decisions about our future." In his mind, Pence may have already crafted a winning scenario . He may be focused on his state , but he thinks a lot about the country , which he served for 10 years as a congressman . A former Democrat (like his ideological mentor Ronald Reagan), Pence sees a need to transform his party's image : "The Republican Party has become just the other party to Washington solutions . We have to get back to advancing state- based solutions and reforms . We must be relentlessly optimistic." He paraphrases a Reagan line:"' Why shouldn't we dream great dreams, after all we're Americans .' There was a confidence and optimism I think our party would do well to repair to . ... There' s a lot wrong with our national government , but we've got to stop confusing our national government with our nation." That's a good line for a stump speech . Pence wants to move from opposing bad ideas in Washington, to focusing on the success records in many states . For example , Pence's education agenda includes a goal of taking children in underperforming schools and putting them in good schools : "By the year 2020, I want 100,000 more Indiana students in high- quality schools than we have today . Today, we have 105,000 kids who are in underperforming or failing schools." He wants to fix traditional schools, pay good teachers more, giving bonuses to the best, and expand vocational education to every high school in the state . "We have the largest education voucher program in America . I want to expand that by lifting the cap and encouraging more private investment." Indiana also has 75 charter schools . Pence declines an invitation to comment on former Gov  Jeb Bush's recent remarks about having to lose the primary in order to win the general election , which many conservatives view as an attack on the party's base . If Hillary Clinton becomes the Democratic Party's presidential nominee , I asked, is she beatable? Pence answers indirectly, saying he thinks 2016 will be the first foreign policy election since 1980 and that as a former secretary of state, Clinton will have some advantages . That's why he thinks the eventual GOP nominee should do as George W  Bush did in 2000 : name a group of advisers with strong foreign policy credentials to advise him during a campaign and , if he is successful , some might serve in his administration . Mike Pence is a model of humility and restraint . While some characterize Obama as a failed president , Pence will only label his tenure "disappointing." That in itself is in sharp contrast to the hubris, narcissism and self-awareness of Obama . Humility, coupled with a proven track record of success and more confidence in the states and the people, is what's needed at the national level . Mike Pence could be the one to bring it .
Example Output: Pence tells me he is focused on the upcoming legislative session, which is expected to last four months, and won't think seriously about running for president until the session ends he says,"We'll probably take some time as a family to reflect and pray and make decisions about our future."

Example Input: Paris lessons: US must revoke citizenship of Americans who join ISIS, Al Qaeda. Last week, France faced the threat that is arguably the toughest to defeat-- a threat from within, from its own terrorists . By now, the stories are familiar . France has a problem with homegrown radicals . At least 900 French citizens are among the 2,000 to 3,000 westerners who've left home for jihadist training or to fight for ISIS in Syria and Iraq . In many ways, the western jihadist represents the worst threat . Able to speak the language fluently, completely familiar with their home countries, and possessing a key weapon -- an American, British, French, or German passport -- they can easily cross international boundaries . The training makes them deadly -- the Paris attacks were notable for their deadly precision and meticulous planning . Their citizenship makes them mobile . That's why any American strategy to defeat jihad has to include measures to not just deny passports to American terrorists, but also strip them of citizenship . This is basic common sense . Most Americans would be surprised to know that joining Al Qaeda or ISIS - the Islamic State - isn't grounds for losing citizenship . The law currently provides that Americans can lose citizenship when they enter or serve in the armed forces of an enemy foreign state . But ISIS and Al Qaeda are not "foreign states," so the law doesn't apply . It's time to close this loophole . In Congress, legislation was introduced last session to address those concerns . It was not approved . Now, in the new Congress - with Republicans in control of both the House and Senate - there's a renewed push to safeguard the homeland . Last week, Representative Ted Poe introduced a measure that revokes passports from Americans who join terrorist organizations . And ,  in the days ahead, Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Steve King are expected to introduce legislation that would strip citizenship from terrorist traitors . This is not an imaginary threat . Not only have Americans joined ISIS , some have even lost their lives fighting for jihadists . In fact ,  as many as 40 men from Minneapolis alone have joined Islamic groups abroad . And just last week in Chicago, A U.S  citizen was indicted by a federal grand jury - charged with attempting to travel overseas to fight alongside the ISIS operating in Iraq and Syria . These men aren't just threats to the United States ; they're also threats to our closest allies . For our allies, the American passport is a ticket of entry, no visa required . And ,  similarly, for British, French, and other allies, their passport is a ticket of entry into the United States . The door is wide open for terrorists to take advantage of centuries of friendship and trust . It is time we slam that door shut . Of course stripping citizenship and revoking passports represent just two small steps - but critical ones - towards a sane national security strategy . However ,  it's difficult to take even these small steps with the Obama administration steadfastly refuses to name our enemies (Mr  President, our enemies are Islamic radicals, not generic "extremists"), accurately describe their ideology(no, they are not "nihilists"), or even to acknowledge their obvious, widespread appeal in the Muslim world . It was sad and embarrassing for Americans to watch as even the leader of the Palestinian Authority marched in Paris against Islamic extremism , yet our president or vice president were nowhere to be found . Even liberal journalists called this absence "pathetic." Marches don't defeat terrorists , but when dozens of world leaders stand together , it makes a statement of determination that is critical for our citizens to see . When our President makes a stand, it signals our nation's resolve , and his absence signaled our government's weakness . In the days and weeks ahead, Congress can send a very different message by passing much needed legislation, putting it on the President's desk, and daring him to veto legislation that would prevent exactly the kind of attack France faced last week . After almost six full years in office, we fully understand the President's approach to combatting terrorism . A recipe that mixes drone strikes with appeasement-- that pulls troops from combat and sends captive terrorists back to the Middle-- is now a proven failure . In my bestselling book, "Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can't Ignore," I demonstrated the consequences of that failure . Jihad rages across the Middle East, Boko Harem rampages through Nigeria , and Afghanistan teeters on the brink of disaster . In the west, recent terror attacks in Canada, Australia, and Paris show jihadists ability to inspire even western Muslims with a message of pure hate and evil . Will the Obama administration change course? Will it finally acknowledge the true dimensions of the threat? It can start with a dose of common sense . It can start by protecting America from terrorist traitors .
Example Output:
Last week, France faced the threat that is arguably the toughest to defeat-- a threat from within, from its own terrorists At least 900 French citizens are among the 2,000 to 3,000 westerners who've left home for jihadist training or to fight for ISIS in Syria and Iraq

