Twitter
Advertisement

Islamophobic incidents rise by 1,000% since Trump took office

Islamophobic incidents at the US borders have risen by over 1,000 per cent since President Donald Trump took office in January, according to a Muslim activist group.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Islamophobic incidents at the US borders have risen by over 1,000 per cent since President Donald Trump took office in January, according to a Muslim activist group.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in its preliminary data collected from its branches across the country said the instances in which US Customs and Borders Protection officials were accused of profiling Muslims accounted for 23 per cent of its caseload in the first three months of 2017.

Of the 193 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) cases recorded from January to March 2017, 181 were reported after the January 27 signing of the Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States Executive Order, also known as the Trump administration's Muslim travel ban.

In the first three months of 2016, the group reported 17 cases, it said.

"CAIR reports 1,035 per cent spike in Islamophobic border incidents during #Trump's first 100 days," CAIR said.

"These are incidents which are reported to us and which we examine. We look at these very carefully. Around 50 per cent, we reject," Corey Saylor, director of CAIR's group that monitors alleged Islamophobia, told 'The Independent.' Trump and the signing of two executive orders designed to crackdown on undocumented migrants and to refuse entry to citizens from six Muslim-majority countries was behind the spike in incidents, he said.

"I have no doubt in my mind that these things are connected," he said.

Following the travel ban, which have been halted by the courts, there were widespread reports of chaos at US airports, and people being turned away as they sought to board flights to America at foreign airports.

Trump vowed during his election campaign that he would make it more difficult for people from certain countries to reach the US as part of tighter security.

Saylor said customs officials routinely asked questions of Muslim traveller that were both invasive and made little common sense.

"Look to the Muslim woman as an indicating factor. By the way she wears her hijab. If the hijab is a solid colour it indicates religiosity. If it's a patterned scarf, with colours, it's more likely that she is less religious," he said, citing testimony of a Customs and Border Protection official from a 2013 lawsuit.

US Customs and Borders Protection did not respond to inquiries, the report said.

 

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement