Donald Trump’s extremist call to ban Muslims from entering the United States is “an unwarranted and hateful attack” on the global peace-loving Muslim community. That was the view of the president of the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), in response to the Republican presidential candidate’s outlandish comments, which have sparked global condemnation. Trump was disowned by his own party’s top leadership on Tuesday and faced calls to drop his White House bid as the world reacted with outrage.

Speaking to VOC News, MJC president Maulana Igsaan Hendricks said Trump has opened up a dangerous space.

“If ever there has been the sign of the end of his campaign, then this is that sign. It is racist [Trump’s remarks] and provides a platform for more possible violence against the Muslim community,” said Maulana Igsaan Hendricks.

“It will not suffice to dismiss Trump’s call as the vitriol of a personality which has become unhinged. Not since Hitler has the world seen such a brazen onslaught upon the human rights of an entire global community.”

Trump’s Islamophobic statements were a reaction to the latest mass killing in the US, allegedly at the hands of a Muslim couple, who were killed in a shootout with police. Fourteen people and 21 others were wounded in the San Bernardino shooting, which the FBI now believes may have been a “terrorist act”.

The Republican frontrunner then called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”

“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. If I win the election for President, we are going to Make America Great Again,” he said in a statement.

The billionaire real estate mogul, who is no stranger to controversy, has never shied away from making insolent comments against religious and ethnic minorities.
At the start of his presidential campaign on June 16th, Trump set of a furore with his comments about immigration.

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people,” Trump said at his campaign announcement.

“But I speak to border guards and they tell us what we’re getting. And it only makes common sense. It only makes common sense. They’re sending us not the right people. It’s coming from more than Mexico. It’s coming from all over South and Latin America, and it’s coming probably— probably— from the Middle East. But we don’t know. Because we have no protection and we have no competence, we don’t know what’s happening. And it’s got to stop and it’s got to stop fast.”

Hendricks urged Muslims to shutdown down this space by condemning Trump’s comments, which he says goes against the universal rights to freedom and religion.

“It is a shame that the US, that claims to be the founding fathers of modern day democracy can allow such statements being made on a platform which has such historical pride.”

On social media, the matter has been a trending topic for days, as Muslims criticised the businessman’s verbal onslaught, raising concerns that this will play into the hands of extremist groups. The MJC and other global ulema bodies agree Trump is trying to advance a particular agenda.

“In the same way that we join hands with the international community to reject extremist terror, we call upon the international community to join us in rejecting Trump’s extremist and anti-Muslim conduct. In the same way as the world condemns anti-Semitism, we call upon the international community to condemn Islamophobia with absolute rejection and with the same standard under which anti-semitism is viewed. We stand united in our quest for global peace.” VOC