Trump Wants a Database and Special ID for Muslims in US
GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump believes that the war on terror will require unprecedented surveillance of America’s Muslims.
“We’re going to have to do thing that we never did before,” he said during a Yahoo interview.
“Some people are going to be upset about it, but I think that now everybody is feeling that security is going to rule,” Trump said.
“Certain things will be done that we never thought would happen in this country in terms of information and learning about the enemy,” he added. “We’re going to have to do things that were frankly unthinkable a year ago.”
Trump would not rule out warrant-less searches in his plans for increased surveillance of the nation’s Muslims, Yahoo reported Thursday.
He also remained open toward registering U.S. Muslims in a database or giving them special identification identifying their faith, the news outlet added.
“We’re going to have to look at a lot of things very closely,” Trump continued. “We’re going to have to look at the mosques. We’re going to have to look very, very carefully.”
Trump additionally floated former New York Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly for a position in his potential presidential administration.
“Ray’s a great guy,” he said of the former NYPD chief. “Ray did a fab job as commissioner, and sure, Ray would be somebody I’d certainly consider.”
Kelly notably spearheaded the NYPD’s controversial surveillance program of New York City’s Muslim population following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The Associated Press reported in November 2011 that the NYPD built extensive databases detailing life in Islamic communities.
The department monitored grocery sales, social life and even worship among New York’s Muslims, the AP added.
Trump has repeatedly called for increased surveillance of Islamic mosques following last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris.
“You’re going to have to watch and study the mosques, because a lot of talk is going on in the mosques,” he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” early Monday.
“And from what I heard, in the old days — meaning a while ago — we had a great surveillance going on in and around the mosques of New York City,” the outspoken billionaire added.
Trump then said that the U.S. would have “absolutely no choice” besides shutting down mosques when “some bad things happen.”
More than 100 people died during a series of coordinated bombings and shootings across Paris last Friday night and more than 300 more were injured. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has since claimed responsibility for those attacks.
(h/t The Hill)
Reality
Trump’s plan is inconsistent with the principles of justice and opposite to the principles of the U.S. Constitution and is quite frankly, scary. It draws a direct comparison between Trump’s plan to identify and tag a people of an entire ethnic group and belief system with Nazi Germany’s plan to identify and tag an entire ethnic group and belief system.
Donald Trump later tweeted that it was not his idea to build a database of American Muslims.
I didn't suggest a database-a reporter did. We must defeat Islamic terrorism & have surveillance, including a watch list, to protect America
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2015
However that was a total and complete lie. Donald Trump just finished talking about how security is going to rule, we’re going to have to do unthinkable things, and how he would hire the guy who created a database on New York Muslims for a national position.
Yahoo News was able to draw a very straight line and asked Trump whether this level of tracking might require registering Muslims in a database or giving them a form of special identification that noted their religion, to which Trump responded with “We’re going to have to,” and “We’re going to have to look at the mosques. We’re going to have to look very, very carefully.”
The next day, an MSNBC reporter asked Trump, “Should there be a database or system that tracks Muslims in this country?” Trump responded that “There should be a lot of systems. Beyond databases. I mean, we should have a lot of systems.”
The same day, an NBC reporter also repeatedly asked Trump what the difference is between a registry for Muslims and the registry for Jews under Nazi Germany, to which Trump only replied, “You tell me.”
Fox News then asked him about his position on a Muslim registry. “Let’s hear it directly from you,” said host Kimberly Guilfoyle. “Would President Donald Trump support a full Muslim database?” Trump said, “Basically the suggestion was made and (it’s) certainly something we should start thinking about.”
(h/t Yahoo News)
Media