In typical Donald Trump form, the Republican frontrunner in the 2016 Presedential race has proposed that the United States close off its borders to all people who are of the Islamic faith “until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”
This shocking suggestion comes just a week following the San Bernardino tragedy, in which a Muslim couple shot and killed 14 people and wounded over 20 others, raising concerns about terrorist attacks, specifically from global terror organization ISIS.The shooters Syed Farook, 28, and his companion, Tashfeen Malik, 27, were loosely connected to the group and reportedly claimed allegiance to the group’s leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
Trump said he was calling for the ban because of data indicating there was “great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim population.” The data Mr Trump cites in the statement comes from the Centre for Security Policy, a controversial right-wing think tank.
His statement received a great backlash, from non-Muslims as well as Americans of the Muslim faith, who condemned his statement as racist rhetoric.
A spokesperson for the Council on America-Islamic Relations compared it with Nazi rhetoric from the 1930s.
“Donald Trump sounds more like a leader of a lynch mob than a great nation like ours,” said Nihad Awad.
