London’s Muslim Mayor Dismisses Donald Trump’s ‘Ignorant View of Islam’

Newly elected London Mayor Sadiq Khan criticized Donald Trump after the Republican presidential candidate suggested Khan could be an exception to his proposed ban on all Muslims traveling to the U.S.

“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 told the Guardian, warning that Trump’s “ignorant view of Islam” could make Britain and America unsafe.

“It risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of the extremists,” Khan told the Guardian. “Donald Trump and those around him think that western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam—London has proved him wrong.”

Speaking to the New York Times on May 8, Trump said he was happy to see Khan elected and that “there will always be exceptions” to his proposed ban. The presumptive Republican nominee was responding to Khan’s interview with TIME, where he said: “I want to go to America to meet with and engage with American mayors. 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.”

[Guardian, NYT]