Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump called Monday for a “total and complete” ban on Muslims entering the United States, barring followers of the world’s fastest-growing religion because he considers the faith rooted in hatred and violence.
The proposal — which was quickly denounced by other candidates from both parties — marks the latest escalation of the virulent anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric that has fueled his unlikely candidacy. It also came less than 24 hours after President Obama urged tolerance in an Oval Office address, saying the fight against terrorists should not “be defined as a war between America and Islam.”
But at a rally Monday night in South Carolina, Trump received a boisterous standing ovation as he shared the idea, telling the crowd that a ban is “common sense” and that his Muslim friends agree with him.
“We have no choice,” he said to cheers. “We have no choice. We have no choice.”
I suppose the fact that this move would be illegal and unconstitutional is OK with Trump supporters?
It’s actually frightening that his campaign has gotten as far as it has gotten. He plays on fears and proposes what the ignorant want to hear, not what is actually possible.
The mainstream Republicans had better decide what they are going to do about him. Can they disavow his rhetoric? Can they distance themselves? Can they simply tell him he can’t be a Republican?
How does Trump propose to tell if people are Muslim? How would they be marked? What would he do about American citizen Muslims who wanted to return home from visiting overseas? What about American service personnel who just happened to be Muslim?
Do people have any idea how un-American this kind of talk sounds? No wonder some of them hate us.
