The San Bernardino terrorist attack in December 2015 wherein a radical couple went on a shooting rampage that led to the death of 14 people showed the world that even the most powerful nation on earth is not safe from terrorism. Officials of the federal government have expressed their sympathy and rage over the senseless act of violence. Many also called the perpetrators cowards who only targeted unarmed civilians. The candidates hoping to become the next US president also gave the world a piece of their minds but it was once again Republican candidate Donald Trump who made the loudest noise.
Total Ban of All Muslims
Trump issued a statement through his presidential campaign team saying that the US should stop allowing Muslims from entering the nation’s borders until the government understands what really happened. He believes that until we are absolutely certain that Muslims are not a threat to national security, we should close our borders to Muslim immigrants and even Muslim tourists. Trump further said that Muslims from all over the world hate us and we should not give them the chance to hurt us.
No Room for Islamophobia in the US
US President Barack Obama was quick to counter Trump’s statement. Obama said that the war against terrorism should not be misinterpreted as a war against Muslims. Obama believes that the world becoming divided due to differences in faith is exactly what ISIS wants. He reiterates that there is no room for Islamophobia in the United States. Americans should not fear people just because they are Muslims. ISIS does not represent Islam. ISIS is made up of nothing more than thugs and killers. ISIS is a cult of death hell-bent on spreading wanton destruction and senseless violence. They are but a small fraction of the Muslim population. There are more than a billion Muslims in the world and most of them are peaceful and reject ISIS’ ideology.
Denouncement from Both Parties
Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley also denounced Trump’s statement. He said the Trump’s statement does nothing to help. All it does is to agitate innocent Muslims who had nothing to do with the San Bernardino shooting. Even other Republicans expressed dismay over what Trump said. In response, Trump said that he does not care if he faces backlash from both the Democratic and Republican parties. He stressed that banning Muslims is one of the necessary steps in his dream of making America great again.
Obama asks everyone to treat Muslims, especially those living in the United States, as our brothers and not our enemies. Let us not allow acts of terror to damage Muslim-American relations.