Trump’s anti-Muslims remarks, hate crime: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Mohammad Elahi, an Imam of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Michigan, to discuss US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s recent controversial remarks that all Muslims should be barred from entering America.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: How do you feel about Donald Trump’s remarks to begin with and the consequences that we have seen?

Elahi: Well I think we are going through a political tornado in United States as we are approaching the season of election next year. It is terrible, it is tragic but it is true. I see this statement and talks of Trump’s are very embarrassing.

In the beginning I thought it is just joke or for entertainment reason but now it is getting serious. It has passed the level of insanity, it is so insulting and embarrassing for America and especially for people of integrity and vision and wisdom in this country. It is very irresponsible, very immoral for him.

It is not just Islamophobia anymore, the phobia of Islam. It is about hatred and there are people in United States that now they are calling for Trump to be taken to the court because what he is saying, this is incitement, it is hate crime kind of thing. So it is very, very serious and I am glad that the international community is reacting to this irresponsible position that a guy who wishes to be the President of United States is denying the constitution practically. What he is doing, the tone of his talks is like a coup d'état against the constitution of United States.

Press TV: And how worried are you when you hear statements like Trump’s because he does have a certain amount of support, his own supporters are very die hard and they support him completely?

Elahi: Yes it is a matter of concern and we are worried because there are ignorant people who are following him and he is bringing really a kind of irresponsible leadership and that confuses people and we are worried because this is similar [to] 1940s in Germany when the Nazis were using the same language against the Jews at that time and we know that that ended up in holocaust.

So it is a hate crime and we are worried but fortunately now the position of President Obama, the position of so many people of integrity in United States and especially that still we in the United States, still we have a constitution no matter what. He is not going to win this election but even if such an amazing and shocking thing happens, still he is not going to be able to do what he is talking about because then that means the end of constitution in United States.

So it is something to be worried not just for us as Muslims, I think as Americans in general. It is an attack on the dignity of everybody, whoever has dignity and integrity should feel this kind of embarrassment and hate crime. So it is really something to be worried and it is really kind of also hypocrisy and double standard.

How can he talk about Islam and Muslims? The Muslim community is one of the most educated communities in United States, it is one of the most hard-working and honorable communities, people of faith, people of families, people who are contributing to this country in universities, in hospitals, schools, business, courts, everywhere the Muslims are serving this country and for someone who comes and insults Islam as one of the greatest faith traditions in the world and also insults 7, 8 million citizens of this country, you can imagine that how the feeling of everybody should be in this situation.

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