NEW YORK - US Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has stepped up his rhetoric against Muslims in America, saying he will like to monitor their mosques.
In a rally at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in Birmingham, Alabama, Trump dismissed accounts of his apparent support for creating a registry of Muslims in the United States as an effort by the news media to entrap him.He then attempted to clarify that idea on Saturday, saying he wanted a database of refugees entering the country from Syria and adding, “I want surveillance of certain mosques, OK?”
“We’ve had it before and we’ll have it again,” he added. Trump has recently spoken of the New York Police Department’s use of informants in mosques after the Sept. 11 attacks. On Thursday, Trump said he would be open to having a “Muslim database” in America for security reasons, two days after he said that the US would have “absolutely no choice” but to close down some mosques.
Hours later, Trump doubled down on his previous remarks when asked by NBC News if he would create a national database to register all Muslims living in the US to protect the country against terrorism. “I would certainly implement that, absolutely.” Trump’s comments came in the wake of the Paris attacks that left at least 130 people dead and hundreds more injured on November 13.
Speaking in Birmingham on Saturday, the billionaire businessman also linked current terrorist concerns in the US, following the attacks in France, with 9/11.
“I watched the World Trade Center go down,” Trump asserted, adding he watched in New Jersey, “as thousands of people were cheering as the building was coming down.” Trump’s comments have drawn strong criticism from his White House rivals.
Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders called Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric “shocking” and “outrageous.” “This is shocking rhetoric. It should be denounced by all seeking to lead this country,” Clinton tweeted on Saturday. “What an outrageous and bigoted statement. @realDonaldTrump should be ashamed of himself,” Sanders tweeted.
Republican presidential candidates have also criticized Trump over his controversial remarks.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush called the prospect of a registry for Muslims “abhorrent.” Florida Senator Marco Rubio said the idea was “unnecessary” and not something Americans would support.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who has largely avoided criticizing Trump throughout the presidential election campaign, said, “I’m not a fan of government registries of American citizens.” New Jersey
Governor Chris Christie said creating a national registry based on religion and closing mosques “will do nothing to keep us safer.”
Ohio Governor John Kasich said requiring people to register with the government because of their religion “strikes against all that we have believed in our nation’s history.” During the campaign rally, a fight broke out between a ‘Black Lives Matter’ protester and other event attendees. CNN reports that the man appeared to have been shouting “Black Lives Matter,” a slogan that was also printed on his shirt. The network reported that at least six attendees pushed and tackled the man when he refused to leave the event.
One rally attendee can be heard on camera chanting “all lives matter” as the protester was later escorted out by police officers. The scuffle drew enough attention that Trump interrupted his speech at the rally to address the fight. “Yeah, you can get him out,” Trump said on stage, referring to a protester. “Yeah, get him out. Get him the hell out of here.”
Birmingham Police Lt. Sean Edwards confirmed to CBS News that three people were asked to leave the event after the skirmish broke out. All three departed, and no arrests were made. Later, Trump appeared to justify the roughing up of the black protester. Asked by Fox News for his comments, Trump said, “Maybe he should have been roughed up. It was disgusting what he was doing.”
source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/donald-trump/12011616/Donald-Trump-I-want-surveillance-of-certain-mosques.html
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