Trump and Clinton Tell Muslims to "Report" What They See

posted on: Oct 12, 2016

BY: Nisreen Eadeh/Staff Writer

Islamophobia and Syrian refugees were topics of discussion once again at the presidential debate on Sunday night.

The dispute over Muslim immigration began when Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton suggested that Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric was undermining allied efforts to combat ISIL. Clinton suggested that U.S. allies in the Arab world are “wondering why we should cooperate with the Americans” given Trump’s statements on Muslim immigration.

The presidential nominees then went on to discuss Syrian refugees. Republican nominee Donald Trump backed down slightly from his earlier statement about a ban on all Muslims from entering the country. Instead, he said “The Muslim ban is something that in some form has morphed into [an] extreme vetting from certain areas of the world.”

Many Republican leaders, including Trump’s running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence, have condoned the nominee’s proposal to ban all Muslims. However, Trump believes it is still necessary to ban all Syrians for fear of a “Trojan horse” scenario in which a terrorist could slip through the refugee vetting process.

Clinton refuted Trump’s statements by asking if he wants to have religious tests given to people who fly into the country. “How do we do what he has advocated without causing great distress within our own country? Are we going to have religious tests when people fly into our country? And how do we expect to be able to implement those?” she asked. “So I thought that [the Muslim ban] was extremely unwise and even dangerous.”

An audience member then gave Trump a question about Islamophobia that has drawn criticism from Arab and Muslim Americans.

Question: Hi. There are 3.3 million Muslims in the United States, and I’m one of them. You’ve mentioned working with Muslim nations, but with Islamophobia on the rise, how will you help people like me deal with the consequences of being labeled as a threat to the country after the election is over?

In his answer, Trump said: “Well, you’re right about Islamophobia, and that’s a shame. But one thing we have to do is we have to make sure that — because there is a problem. I mean, whether we like it or not, and we could be very politically correct, but whether we like it or not, there is a problem. And we have to be sure that Muslims come in and report when they see something going on. When they see hatred going on, they have to report it.”

Trump’s suggestion that American Muslims have to report terrorism they see has sparked outrage in the community. The FBI reported that American Muslims are already helpful in the counterterrorism effort, but there is still an issue of defining terrorism in terms of Islam only.

Hillary Clinton offered a similar response to Trump’s, advocating that American Muslims are a key ally in combatting ISIL, and that they have a responsibility to report potential threats.

American Muslims took to Twitter to express their anger at being spoken about only in terms of national security during the debate. Islamophobia is a serious problem affecting both the Arab American and Muslim communities, which was not addressed appropriately by either candidate.

The following tweet was the first to go viral, which then prompted the hashtag #MuslimsReportStuff.

I’m a Muslim, and I would like to report a crazy man threatening a woman on a stage in Missouri. #debate

— Moustafa Bayoumi (@BayoumiMoustafa) October 10, 2016

American Muslims used the hashtag to help normalize their image, and reminding fellow Americans that not only Muslims can commit acts of terror.

Terrorists. #MuslimsReportStuff pic.twitter.com/Vb8VCDu4D8

— Donna Auston (@TinyMuslimah) October 10, 2016

He’s behind you!#MuslimsReportStuff #Debate pic.twitter.com/b9ueYfqO5b

— Shaista Aziz (@shaistaAziz) October 10, 2016

Hi 911, my white neighbor came over for dinner and described my mom’s food as bomb. Should I be concerned? #MuslimsReportStuff

— eemi (@eemanabbasi) October 10, 2016

“Hi, I’d like to report that I know many African Americans & Latinos who don’t actually live in inner cities.” #MuslimsReportStuff #debate

— Hind Makki (@HindMakki) October 10, 2016