Donald Trump has been accused of “hypocrisy” for his
tributes to Muhammad Al, as Bernie Sanders criticised those who praise the
boxing legend while being "prejudiced against Muslims in this
country".
After publically calling for all Muslims to be banned from
entering the US, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate sparked a
political row by tweeting: “Muhammad Ali is dead at 74! A truly great champion
and a wonderful guy. He will be missed by all!”
Mr Trump and Ali had a relationship going back at least 35
years, with Ali attending the businessman’s second wedding in 2005, and their
paths crossed at countless charity events.
Asked about the statement on Saturday, Mr Trump said he did
not “believe that was about me”. “He never mentioned the name or anything like
that,” he said, adding that if it were about him, Ali “would have mentioned the
name”.
Adding to his online tribute, Mr Trump said of Ali: “He was
two people. In the ring, he was fierce, and outside of the ring, he was one of
the nicest guys you could ever meet.” He added that he was an “amazing poet”,
“so generous”, and a “terrific guy”.
Nonetheless, followers on Twitter were quick to contrast
Ali’s devotion to Islam with Mr Trump’s ban on Muslims.
David Hobby asked if Ali would have received a “special
exemption from your Muslim ban” – like the one Mr Trump offered to Sadiq Khan
upon his election as London Mayor.
And the comedian Brian Gaar said, simply, “[Donald Trump],
you are the epitome of everything he despised.”
Others pointed to a tweet Mr Trump posted in the wake of a
speech by Barack Obama on the San Bernardino shootings. In it, the businessman
appeared to suggest he wasn’t aware of any Muslim “sport heroes”.
The President had urged people in the US to rise above an
Islamaphobic reaction to the terrorist incident saying “Muslims-Americans are
our friends, neighbours and sports heroes”.
Mr Trump reacted: “Obama said in his speech that Muslims are
our sports heroes. What sport is he talking about, and who? Is Obama profiling?
Mr Sanders, who still entertains hopes of being the
presidential rival opposite Mr Trump, explicitly called out those who praise
Ali while condemning Muslims.
He said in an LA press conference: "I’ve been all over
this country and I’m talking to Muslim people who say, ‘You know, Bernie, our
kids are now afraid.’
"I say to those people, one of the great American
heroes in modern American history was Muhammad Ali, a very proud Muslim.
He added: "Don’t tell me how much you love Muhammad Ali
and yet you’re going to be prejudiced against Muslims in this country."
Responding to Mr Trump on Twitter, Sam Heughan suggested
that maybe Ali “would not be allowed in the country under your proposals”.
Again speaking on Saturday, Mr Trump said the post did not
mean he was unaware of any Muslim sports stars.
“I know who they are. I mean, look, Muhammad Ali is somebody
that I’ve liked for a long time — and I know he’s Muslim.
“All I’m saying is, ‘I’d like [Obama] to name them because I
agree there are some. That’s not a knock by any stretch of the imagination.’
Works Cited
Withnall, Adam. "Donald Trump Accused of 'hypocrisy' over Twitter Tribute to Muhammad Ali." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 6 June 2016. Web. 08 June 2016.
Response
This article is talking about
Donald Trump’s tribute to Muhammad Ali and his xenophobic attitude towards
Muslims. Donald Trump is known for his very blunt and racist comments towards
the ‘diverse America’ and yet trying to gain popularity at the same time; in
this case people have seen the contradiction in his statements after he posted
on Twitter his condolences to Ali stating him as ‘truly a great champion’ and a
‘terrific guy’. It brought to light his Muslim ban and questioned whether Ali was
exempt from his Islamophobia tendencies. Along with that Donald Trump stated
that Muslims can never be ‘sport heroes’ and when questioned about Ali, he
could only reply that Ali was a good friend and he didn’t include him in the
statement that he had originally made, “All I’m saying is, ‘I’d like [Obama] to
name them because I agree there are some. That’s not a knock by any stretch of
the imagination.’ In my opinion, this is a foreshadow of what it would be like
to have Donald Trump as president—endlessly contradicting himself and stirring
confusion and anger in people’s minds. I think it was wrong of him to make such
harsh and xenophobic comments towards the Muslim religion and the people definitely
have a right to be angry. The author showed little to no bias, and it was very
well-written.
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