Trump: would use ‘good management’ to register Muslims and that they would be signed up ‘at different places’.
Reuters
Washington
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said that he would implement a database to keep track of Muslims in the United States as part of his immigration policy.
Trump, interviewed by NBC News after a campaign appearance in Iowa on Thursday night, was asked how a database tracking Muslims differed from efforts last century to track Jews in Nazi Germany, and said: “You tell me.”
His comments come amid renewed security concerns following the Islamic State (IS) attacks in Paris last week that killed at least 130 people and US plans to take in 10,000 refugees from Syria.
Trump, who has made immigration policy a key part of his campaign for the Republican nomination in the November 2016 presidential election, told NBC that a database would be part of his plan.
“I would certainly implement that, absolutely,” he said, adding that the United States also should control its border with Mexico with a wall, something he has long touted.
“There should be a lot of systems, beyond databases,” he said.
Trump said that he would use “good management” to register Muslims and that they would be signed up “at different places”.
When asked whether Muslims should be legally required to register for the database, he said: “They have to be – they have to be.”
The Paris attacks also have raised questions about the US refugee programme and its handling of those fleeing Syria, the militant group’s stronghold along with Iraq.
Many Republicans have called for a pause in the programme because of fears that militants might sneak into the country.
The Republican-led US House of Representatives passed a measure on Thursday to halt Syria refugees but President Barack Obama has vowed to veto the bill.
Other Republican presidential candidates have backed such efforts, including Trump’s closest Republican rival in the polls, Ben Carson, who likened Syrian refugees to “rabid dogs” who would put the country at risk.
Republican presidential rivals, former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Ohio Governor John Kasich, have both criticised Trump’s Muslim database proposal.
“That’s just wrong,” Bush said on CNBC yesterday. “It’s manipulating people’s angst and their fears. That’s not strength. That’s weakness.”
Kasich, whose Super PAC is launching a $2.5mn series of attacks against Trump, said the proposal proved the real estate mogul was not worthy of the White House.
“The idea that someone would have to register with the federal government because of their religion strikes against all that we have believed in our nation’s history,” Kasich said in a statement. “It is yet another example of trying to divide people, one against the other. Donald Trump is unable to unite and lead our country.”
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton also criticised Trump’s comments.
“This is shocking rhetoric. It should be denounced by all seeking to lead this country,” Clinton said on Twitter.
As the debate over terrorism has gained prominence on the campaign trail, early polls show Republicans turning to Trump, a billionaire with no previous government experience, to tackle the issue.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in the days after the attack found 33% of Republicans think he is best suited to address terrorism, leading the field.
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim rights group, said the rest of the Republican presidential field should say publicly whether they would close mosques, create a database of Muslims or require Muslims to carry a special ID card.
“This is way beyond the pale, this is basically a call to persecute a religious minority based on nothing other than their faith,” Hooper said.
