(Getty)
Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has again sparked controversy with a statement calling for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”
Read his full statement below:
Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on. According to Pew Research, among others, there is great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim population. Most recently, a poll from the Center for Security Policy released data showing “25% of those polled agreed that violence against Americans here in the United States is justified as a part of the global jihad” and 51% of those polled, “agreed that Muslims in America should have the choice of being governed according to Shariah.” Shariah authorizes such atrocities as murder against non-believers who won’t convert, beheadings and more unthinkable acts that pose great harm to Americans, especially women.
Mr. Trump stated, “Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine. Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life. If I win the election for President, we are going to Make America Great Again.
Trump’s camp later clarified his statement, adding that the ban would include American citizens returning from overseas travel. He said on Fox News that Muslims serving in the U.S. military would be allowed to return, but “we have to be vigilant.”
He spoke about his statement at a rally in South Carolina on the U.S.S. Yorktown, which you can watch below, starting at the 16-minute mark:
Several Republican presidential candidates responded to Trump’s statement:
We need a Commander-in-Chief with a serious plan to take out ISIS and defeat radical Islamic terrorism. Here’s mine t.co/272CSGlVyL
.@Realdonaldtrump has gone from making absurd comments to being downright dangerous with his bombastic rhetoric.
He’s putting at risk the lives of interpreters, American supporters, diplomats, & the troops in the region by making these bigoted comments
Every candidate for president needs to do the right thing & condemn @Realdonaldtrump‘s statement.
The next President better be somebody who can unite our country to face the great challenges of the 21st Century.
.@SunlenSerfaty just asked @tedcruz to respond to Trump’s ban on Muslims. Here’s what he said.
Full remarks from @MedvedSHOW on @realDonaldTrump statement.
Response of Carly Fiorina to Trump proposal:
The polling data cited by Trump in his statement has been called into question. Read about the group behind that date, the Center for Security Policy, which is led by a man the Southern Poverty Law Center calls an “Islamaphobe,” at the link below:
