London's new Mayor Sadiq Khan has rejected Donald Trump's "ignorant" offer to exempt him from a proposed ban on Muslim travel to the U.S., and said he hopes Hillary Clinton defeats him in the general election.
"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," said Khan, who is Muslim,
according to The Guardian.
"Donald Trump’s ignorant view of Islam could make both our countries less safe — it risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of the extremists. Donald Trump and those around him think that western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam — London has proved him wrong."
Khan supports Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and
told the BBC, "I hope she trounces him."
Khan, the son of a Pakistani immigrants, was sworn in as London's first Muslim mayor on Saturday.
In November, Trump called for a temporary ban of Muslim visitors after terrorist attacks transpired in Paris. Trump's plan sparked international outrage, including a call to ban him from entering Britain,
The Independent reported.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, offered to make an exception for London's newly elected mayor on Monday, adding that he was happy to see Khan elected.
"If he does a good job and frankly if he does a great job, that would be a terrific thing,"
Trump said of Khan.
Khan raised the issue of whether he would be able to visit the U.S. under a Trump presidency during his election campaign. He accused his conservative opponents of using tactics "straight out of the Donald Trump playbook," the BBC 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," Khan told Time magazine on Sunday.
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