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Trump trying to demonize Muslims, immigrants: Pundit

Monday, 22 February 2016 5:52 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 22 February 2016 5:50 AM ]

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, February 21, 2016. (AFP Photo)

Press TV has interviewed Raza Kazim, with the Islamic Human rights Commission from London, and Michael Lane, with the American Institute for Foreign Policy from Washington, to discuss inflammatory remarks by US presidential candidate Donald Trump against Muslims and immigrants.

Kazim says the Republican front-runner in the 2016 race is “a racist” candidate who is “promoting anti-Muslim hatred.” He also expresses concern that a large number of Americans are buying the xenophobic rhetoric put forth by Trump on the campaign trail.

The Islamic activist notes that the American society tends to support politicians who promote the “demonization of the other.” He argues that Trump demonizes Muslims and other minorities to justify future pressures on them. The inflammatory rhetoric might pave the way for US military assaults against Muslim nations throughout the world, he warns.

Kazim says the current anti-Muslim narrative exposes the hypocrisy of US politicians in dealing with others, which comes from the era of occupation of America by white European migrants centuries ago.

Lane, for his part, believes Trump is tapping into the Americans’ anger with the US elite in order to absorb more votes in the upcoming presidential election.

He also thinks Trump is equivalent of a “political shock jock,” noting that the candidate makes provocative remarks, but he does not mean what he says.

However, Lane doubts that Trump would win the Republican nomination, and if “he would be the nominee, I would further have doubts that he would actually be elected president of the United States.”

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www.presstv.ir