Source: The Hill
A Muslim advocate wearing a stars-and-stripes hijab on Fox News slammed Donald Trump’s plan to close mosques in the wake of the Paris terror attacks, saying the idea violates the First Amendment.
Saba Ahmed, president and founder of the Republican Muslim Coalition, said Tuesday on “The Kelly File” that the proposal is chilling to those who value religious freedom.
“Megyn, we go to the mosque to pray,” Ahmed said. “It’s absolutely horrifying to hear that our constitutional rights of free exercise of religion are going to be challenged just because somebody thinks that there may be some attendees who may disagree with your views.”
“The thing is, you wouldn’t shut down churches just because there was one or two Christians who were acting badly. The mosque has nothing to do with terrorists,” she added.
Ahmed later told Mic that she wore the scarf to “portray that there are patriotic American Muslims and we just want to live in peace.”
Ahmed was debating Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson, who defended the Republican presidential front-runner’s plan to shut down mosques in the wake of ISIS attacks that left more than 120 dead in France.
“Well, Megyn, we don’t have the right to plot terrorism and kill Americans,” she said.
Trump said on Tuesday the U.S. has “absolutely no choice” but to close down mosques.
“Nobody wants to say this and nobody wants to shut down religious institutions or anything, but you know, you understand it,” Trump said on Fox News’s “Hannity.” “A lot of people understand it. We’re going to have no choice.”
Categories: Americas, Islam, United States