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I can’t recall any statement in modern history making waves higher than those generated by Donald Trump’s Muslim comments this week. From the moment the proposal left his snarled lips, the entire world has been ideologically drunk, stumbling about with no sense of proportion, history, law or context. The New York Times described the outrage directed at Trump as ‘withering fire’. The UK papers called it a ‘perfect storm’ and ‘political sensation’. In the Guardian, the normally level-headed Gary Younge reacted by saying that ‘bigotry’ (presumably he meant anti-Islam sentiment) is now ‘out, loud and proud’ in both politics and society. And so on..
As far as I have noticed, the only major political commentator to approve of Trump’s proposal is (the ever-dependable) Ann Coulter, who tweeted ‘Go, Trump, Go!” and went even further by suggesting the policy should cover all foreigners.
What actually was the idea? Well, there have been many myths advanced about what Trump actually said and meant, either to make it seem better, or – more commonly – to make it seem worse, but put most basically, Trump suggested that all Muslims be barred from entering the United States until ‘(America’s leaders) figure out what is going on (with ISIS, terrorism etc…’. At first the billionaire seemed to maintain that this would apply even to Muslim-Americans serving in wars abroad after their term had been completed, but this aspect has since been removed.
This isn’t a crazy idea, at least from a European perspective. The reason hell broke loose is because America is not Europe, and America’s Muslims are not like Europe’s Muslims. While the latter are the result of recent immigration (and a smattering of conversions), the former have a complex and native root that would be difficult or impossible to cleanly excise. Many American Muslims are Black Africans, and Black Africans are generally considered to be as American as apple pie. Given this reality, it came as little surprise to see the prodigious employment of a certain boxing legend on social media following Trump’s announcement. Indeed, were there still people not yet primed to what was going on, they might have honestly surmised that Muhammad Ali had perished, such was his ubiquity on the internet last Tuesday evening.
My own reaction to this announcement has been ambivalent. I salute and congratulate Mr Trump on his boldness, his daring and his commitment to the Western World and the preservation of its culture. But the prospect of a wholesale ban on Muslim travel is utopian. However happy the proposal’s consequences might be, it flies against the complexity of the world as it is, as well as against the realities of the United States itself. In the globalised world, it remains necessary that certain people from non-Western nations travel to the West (and vice versa). Muslim businessmen, diplomats and government officials require access for official functions – functions which are essential for the United States’ economy and for the furtherance of its global agenda. If the Muslim travel ban was implemented, the United Nations would have to be moved outside of the US – drastically diminishing the country’s soft power and shifting the political emphasis to Europe. For these (and many other) reasons I do not believe Donald Trump’s proposal is workable at the present moment. Nonetheless, the proposal is far from ‘mad’, and Mr Trump did not deserve the orgiastic right-wing back-stabbing of the past 7 days.
In my humble opinion, a more workable proposal is that advanced by many ‘radical’ parties; namely, that while (some) Muslims should be allowed to travel to the West, these must never become Western. Western citizenship should not be bestowed on any non-native person of Islamic faith. Ever. Period. The risks are too high, and the benefits are too inconsiderable for the admission of Muslims into the Western organism to make sense.
I am aware that the announcement of this policy would cause as much or more controversy as the one Trump announced, but reactions are inevitable and we have to do something.
We cannot de-Islamise Muhammad Ali, but we can make damn sure the current inhabitants of the Islamic world do not become permanent inhabitants of Boston, New York, Washington, Paris, London and Madrid.
D, LDN
Defend the Modern World 
What’s Trump has done, is to bring to the mainstream view & concerns that have been caricatured as ‘Far-right’ by leftists.
Concerns about Islamization and its consequences, like the erosion of the freedom of speech, acceptance of misogyny and homophobia, concerns that Muslim communities are more loyal to Arab lands than to and even outright hostility to the societies that have been gracious enough to have granted the PRIVILEGE of citizenship and its attendant benefits, concerns about the safety of non-Muslim citizens due the ever present threat of terrorism and a thousand other fears and concerns.
These very real fears have been belittled by the leftists as ‘racism’ and ‘far-right’.
But, Trump has bought these concerns to the mainstream discourse.
He has done it in a crude fashion. I would have appreciated a more nuanced approach, but, Trump is Trump, he is abrasive, folksy and so politically incorrect that it seems to connect with a large majority of republican voters.
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And for those reasons – he is the right man for the White House. I still believe he can win the nomination.
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I must say, I am no great fan of Trump, but he did this to FINALLY put it on the table. After all the hand wringing over San Bernardino and the Paris atrocity from the hysterical left. I do believe it was calculated even though the press is still painting him as an ignoramus and loose cannon. (I don’t think so) There is such a thing as a protest vote and in this context Trump totally gets it, as does Marine LePen. The left will continue to try and polarize opinion since that is what they do best. Selling mendacity works, apparently. Most people will see it for what it is and it’s about time we started this discussion and throw the phony “islamofauxbia” out the window. Islam preaches murder, submission and destruction. I think the retort to such an ideology is a no brainer. Japan is a model of clear thinking when it comes to islam. It’s painful to see just how many on the left cling to the false narrative of “moderate islam”, blah blah blah. They still look like fools to me. This fight has just begun.
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Japan’s policy is ideal, but it will be difficult to implement here, since we will have to shift the centre quite far to the right to do so. In Japan, by happy contrast, the emphasis is (and always has been) on what is best for Japan and its native culture.
In time, the talk of a ‘moderate’ Islam will attract laughter. ISIS will see to that.
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I fervently hope so.
He is the ONLY Weatern leader who dares to ask the Saudi this question, a question which everyone is thinking, but nobody dares to ask:
“Has […] Saudi Arabia, taken any of the Syrian refugees? If not, why not?”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/donald-trump-calls-on-saudi-arabia-to-take-in-refugees-following-online-spat-with-saudi-prince-a6771451.html
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Ted Cruz might also be willing, but Trump is the only one so far bold enough to do so.
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“We cannot de-Islamise Muhammad Ali”
We can try, and we should.
The United Nations is increasingly a joke with Saudi Arabia in the chair of the Human Rights Council and the OIC demanding a worldwide law against criticism of (their) religion.
I tend to agree with your proposal however. My fear is that Trump will end up splitting the Republican vote, especially if he tries to run as an independent. Would Carson be a better choice? Carson seems to have done better in polling overall.
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I’m still for Trump. He’s the only candidate with the courage to confront Islamism. He will certainly split the vote, but it’s better the Repubs win or lose on principle than on pragmatism.
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I so wish the republican establishment doesn’t listen to Saudi money and disqualify Trump. If Trump stays on and is nominated as a republican candidate, he will definitely give a tough fight to Hillary and may even win the presidency.
A Trump presidency will certainly shake-up things. I so hope that he finally ends this disingenuous, counterproductive and stupid ‘alliance’ with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia is NOTHING without American support and they should be shown their proper place. Trump is the only person who would do it.
What do you think about this Trump tweet about the Saudi Prince Talal as a “”Dopey Prince’ who wants to control US politicians with Daddy’s money. Won’t happen when I get elected”?
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He’s right, of course. The Saudi monarchs are ‘layabouts’ (as he also said). Trump inherited a lot of money himself, but he has vastly increased that fortune with his own skill.
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Both Saudi and Pakistan have nothing to offer the United States. Our partner in South Asia should be India.
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I should have said my fear is that Trump will end up splitting the Republican vote if he tries to run as an independent. Let us indeed hope that the republicans don’t try to exclude him. Its a shame he made such an outspoken statement. I’m not sure that triggering a complete breakdown of relations with all the Islamic countries at once is really a good strategy at this point in time. However the fact that such a prominent person is making such outspoken statements is an encouraging sign of a change in tone, its a long way from George W. Let’s just hope it doesn’t lead to Hillary Clinton in the White House.
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That is a danger. I also don’t think we can afford to sever all links with the Muslim world. Economically and strategically, it would be very stupid. We profit from friendly relations with Indonesia, Jordan, Post-Saddam Iraq etc…As long as these countries are not saying ‘death to the west’ or exporting vast hordes of their own citizens as migrants, we shouldn’t be unnecessarily hostile. Indeed, if we left them completely alone, they would team up with China or Putin’s Russia – thereby shifting the global power balance.
Trump’s policy was utopian and not very well thought through, but I completely understand the sentiment behind it. Let’s hope he can overcome the fallout and keep up the momentum.
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I tend to agree about the UN, but America still reaps benefits from being seen as the headquarters of the world.
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Athena – you wrote – “A Trump presidency will certainly shake-up things. I so hope that he finally ends this disingenuous, counterproductive and stupid ‘alliance’ with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.” Yep. And Turkey and Indonesia…think of the money Uncle Sam would save. No more ‘aid’ to meretricious and malevolent Pakistan.
Dump Pakistan – talaq talaq talaq! – and reorient toward…Mother India. That would work, with Modi already making a start toward freeing India from Dhimmi attitudes (and Modi is making friends with Israel, too).
O well, we can hope. And write letters. And, if American, support ACT for America.
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