Donald Trump said Monday as president he would halt all Muslim immigration to the United States.
The Republican presidential frontrunner announced in a press release he wants a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."
Trump cited vague or outright false polling data he claims demonstrates "there is great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim population." Among the bunk polls he cites is one from a group called the Center for Security Policy, which is led by Frank Gaffney Jr., who has been referred to as a "notorious Islamaphobe" by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Gaffney is "gripped by paranoid fantasies about Muslims destroying the West from within," including the belief they want to institute Shariah law, SPLC reports.
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Trump echoes Gaffney almost word for word.
"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," his campaign said.
According to Trump, all you need to do to know that all Muslims hate America is turn on your television.
"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."
The ban on immigration is the most-incendiary attack yet on Muslims from Trump in recent months.
For the past three weeks, the candidate has defended his false claim that "hundreds" or "thousands" of Muslims in New Jersey were cheering the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. (When a reporter who wrote the story Trump cited as "proof," of the myth said he didn't remember allegations of crowds being that large, Trump mocked the reporter's physical disability.)
Trump also recently said he would send all Syrian refugees back as president and that no more should be let into the U.S.
Furthermore, Trump said he would be open to a database and more to keep track of Muslims. The Republican also said he was also open to closing certain mosques.
The hate speak against Muslims echoes similar statements Trump made about Mexicans, whom he said were "bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists."
