CAIRO – London mayor Sadiq Khan brushed aside Donald Trump’s suggestion that he would exempt him from his proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States, slamming the Republican presidential hopeful’s views of Islam.
“This isn’t just about me – it’s about my friends, my family and everyone who comes from a background similar to mine, anywhere in the world,” Khan was quoted by The Telegraph on Tuesday, May 10.
“Donald Trump’s ignorant view of Islam could make both of our countries less safe – it risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of extremists.
Khan, the London-born son of Pakistani immigrants, was elected last week by a wide margin after a campaign that saw his Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith accuse him of having shared platforms with Islamic extremists.
Khan, a former human rights lawyer and Labour Party lawmaker, accused Goldsmith of trying to frighten and divide voters in a multicultural city of 8.6 million people — more than 1 million of them Muslims.
In his victory speech, Khan said the result marked of “hope over fear and unity over division.”
The Republican presidential hopeful told the New York Times that he was happy to see Khan elected, saying it could be “very, very good”.
“Donald Trump and those around him think that Western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam – London has proved him wrong,” Khan said.
Earlier, Khan said he was planning for an early visit to the US before Trump could take office, in the event of him winning November’s presidential election.
“Clearly [I’ll visit] before January in case Donald Trump wins,” he told Time magazine.
“If Donald Trump becomes the president I’ll be stopped from going there by virtue of my faith, which means I can’t engage with American mayors and swap ideas.”
Trump has vowed a “total and complete” temporary shutdown of America’s borders to Muslims following last December’s deadly attack in San Bernardino.
When asked by the New York Times how his proposed ban on Muslims would apply to Khan, Trump said: “There will always be exceptions.”