Durban - The South African Muslim community is up in arms after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Trump made the statement on Tuesday at a rally in South Carolina.
Other statements Trump has made include that all mosques should be monitored and that all Muslims should be registered until the United States figures out what is “going on in the country”.
His statements have sparked outrage from Muslims all over the world including South Africa.
Nabeweya Malick from the Muslim Judicial Council in Cape Town says that the Muslim community contributes greatly to the American society and that Trump’s comments are reckless.
“The statement is shallow and damaging to Muslims who are living in the US, especially because the Muslim community contributes a lot to the economy, the medical field and society as a whole. President Barack Obama has even said on numerous occasions that he appreciates the work and contribution of the Muslim community. If anything it harms the American economy because Muslims will now think twice before travelling to the US,” Malick said
Malick also praised the US government for trying to improve their halaal status in hotels and mosques.
“If anything the government should distance themselves from Trump” she said.
The Jamiat-Ulama in Durban did not reply by the time the story was published.
IOL MOJO
* Use IOL’s Facebook and Twitter pages to comment on our stories. See links below.