Michigan Islamic Leader: Trump's Call To Ban Muslims From U.S. 'Falls Right Into Hands Of ISIS'
ROYAL OAK (WWJ) -- Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump is receiving scathing criticism of his call to block Muslims from entering the United States.
Trump's campaign said recently that such a ban should stand "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."
Dr. Muzamill Ahmed, chairman of the Michigan Muslim Community Council, told WWJ Newsradio 950's Jon Hewett that Trump's comments are divisive and hurtful.
"Muslim Americans have been involved in thwarting a lot of attacks and providing intelligence to our law enforcement to keep America safe, and will continue to do so," Ahmed said. "It's not helpful to have people like Trump demonize the Muslims in a broad brush."
Trump says his proposal comes in response to what he calls the level of hatred among "large segments of the Muslim population" toward Americans.
"Donald Trump does bring out the worst in people," Ahmed said. "But I have full confidence in the people of Michigan and in the United States of America, [that] when a candidate like Donald Trump is actually put before them in a real election he will be blown away."
Ahmed says Trump's comments actually aid extremists.
"The purpose of ISIS and other extremist groups is to marginalize the people in the middle -- the moderates," Ahmed said. "The people who fall into their strategy of being either with them or against them -- of kind of putting this division between east and west -- that's precisely what ISIS wants to see happen."
Trump's Republican rivals were quick to reject his stance. Jeb Bush, via Twitter, said Trump has become "unhinged," while Carly Fiorina said "Trump's overreaction is as dangerous as President Obama's under-reaction" when it comes to dealing with Islamic extremists.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest says Trump is trying to tap into "a darker element" of American society.
