Alwaght- United States Muslims have been deeply angered by leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump latest Islamophobic claim that “Islam hates us,” and demanded an apology from the rabid politician.
American Muslim leaders has said Trump’s Islamophobic rhetoric, and that of other Republican officials, is to blame at least in part for the recent unprecedented spike in anti-Muslim hate incidents.
Trump's latest incendiary comments came during a one-on-one interview with Cooper that aired Wednesday on CNN just before the Democratic debate between Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. The remarks set off a firestorm of outrage in the Muslim community and the general public, inspiring the #NextLevelTrump hashtag as a means of protest.
Donald Trump doubled down Thursday night on his claim that Islam “hates” America. Asked during the Republican debate if he meant that all 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide hate the United States, Mr. Trump replied, “I mean a lot of them. I mean a lot of them. There’s tremendous hatred, and I will stick with exactly what I said.”
In response, leading Muslim advocacy group the Council American-Islamic Relations, CAIR, held a press conference today demanding an apology from Trump. “I am here to tell you haven’t done your due diligence on Islam because you know nothing about our religion,” said Kristin Szremski, Director of Media and Communications at American Muslims for Palestine. She was among several spokespeople from an array of American Muslim advocacy and civic groups who joined CAIR in demanding an apology from Trump. “You are thinking this will get you to the presidency. You think the ends justify the means. But you are harming my community.”
"Donald Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric does not reflect leadership, but instead reflects a bigoted mindset that only serves to divide our nation and the world," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad in a statement to the press. "He should apologize to the Muslims serving in our nation's armed forces, to the Muslim doctors who provide health care to millions of Americans, to the Muslim law enforcement officers who keep communities safe, to the Muslim women targeted by hate because of their attire, and to the Muslim students who face bullying because of their faith."
Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Staff Attorney Yolanda Rondon issued a similar denunciation of Trump. “There is no us versus them, there is no other. That divide and conquer tactic won’t work. We are all Americans, and we must all defend these ideals,” she said. “He knows his statements and policies have a direct impact on our community and we can take it no more.”
“Our message is not to Donald Trump, it’s to moderate Americans. Like you, we’re tired of all this extremist rhetoric about Islam being at war with the West and vice versa,” said Rabiah Ahmed, Media and Communications Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. “We are also tired of being talked at and spoken for. We are tired of being misrepresented. We are tired of defending ourselves against extremist rhetoric from both ends.”
