Let’s be frank here, Donald Trump is a joke. As his campaign goes on it becomes more and more apparent that he is as ridiculous as his hair, which is slotted to come to Dorton Arena this Friday. The only thing more alarming than the often racist and sexist remarks that publicly fly out of his mouth is the alarming number of supporters that he has gained.
Trump has been hailed for his candidness by his supporters. They claim that previous politicians sugar coated the real issues and made promises that they could not keep. For the sake of all things good and holy, we should all hope that Trump never gets the chance to prove himself as being a man of his word, or otherwise.
In case you need a reminder of some of the offensive remarks made by Trump, here are a few. Trump mocked a disabled New York Times reporter, and then insisted that the newspaper apologize to him. He has said that President Barack Obama’s poor job as president will make it hard for any future black presidents. The most recent insulting statement made by Trump pertains to one particular religious group.
At a rally in Sarasota, Florida on Saturday, Trump attacked Islam as being a religion that promotes violence. On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” he said, “You know, there’s something definitely going on. I don’t know that that question can be answered. It could be answered two ways. It could be answered both ways. But there’s something going on there. There’s something going on there. There’s something that there’s a lot of hatred coming out of at least a big part of it. You see the hatred. I mean, we see it every day.”
Trump said the response by Muslims after the recent Paris attacks as well as the response of “thousands and thousands” of Muslim people who “celebrated the downing of the World Trade Center” are indicative of the fact that Islam is an overall violent and destructive. NBC’s Chuck Todd challenged his remarks about the alleged celebration. Trump stood by his claims.
Trump has openly declared that he is a Christian, telling CBN News that he “will be the greatest representative of the Christians they’ve had in a long time.”
Ironically, Trump has seemed to disregard the catastrophic acts committed in the name Christianity. The KKK, Manifest Destiny, and the Salem Witch Hunts are just a few examples of ways in which individuals have manipulated religions values as a way to satisfy their own sick and selfish desires. Certainly Trump would not agree that the acts of the KKK embody true Christian values and morals, or perhaps he would.
Either way, it cannot be denied that it is unfair to judge the legitimacy of a few individuals as the basis for an entire religion; yet this standard is applied in a discriminatory way.
I do not know much about Islamic faith, but I am certain that it is not one that regards violence or terrorist acts as righteous. Trump’s statements regarding Islam are dangerous and only further the negative stigma associated with Muslims around the world. He fuels the fire that shuns this body of people, and helps to create a culture that thrives on fear and hate.