Doctors, veterans and students are tweeting Donald Trump photos of their work identity cards after he said he would set up a database to track all US Muslims if he became president.
The frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination has received widespread condemnation over controversial comments regarding the country’s Muslim population in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.
He told NBC News that he would “absolutely” implement a national database to track Muslims in the US, with such a scheme involving Muslims being given a form of identification which would note their religion.
Mr Trump said: “I would certainly implement that. Absolutely. There should be a lot of systems, beyond databases. We should have a lot of systems.”
When asked whether Muslims would be obliged to sign up and share their identity details on such a database by law, the millionaire entrepreneur told NBC News: “They have to be.”
This is shocking rhetoric. It should be denounced by all seeking to lead this country. -H https://t.co/qs2TJI5spu
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 20, 2015
The 69-year-old’s comments have sparked outrage, with Democratic presidential hopeful Hilary Clinton tweeting: “This is shocking rhetoric. It should be denounced by all seeking to lead this country.”
Others compared his plan for the scheme to the victimisation of Jews by the Nazis.
In response to his provocative suggestion, many American Muslims have taken to Twitter to express their views on the subject – with many tweeting the businessman photos of their existing work identity cards alongside the hashtag ‘MuslimID’.
One Twitter user even mocked up a fake Muslim ID card “signed by the imaginary 45th President of the United States, Donald J Trump”.
@WajahatAli gets his #MuslimID 'signed' by the imaginary 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. pic.twitter.com/gmNWUldo2V
— Olatunde Bakare (@Backarray) November 24, 2015
@JeanGreasy: Oh, SWEET! Are we doing #MuslimID? Here! @realDonaldTrump I look glowy. Can I use this one? Holler. pic.twitter.com/2ZJ1g0jvHk
— Jean Grae (@JeanGreasy) November 24, 2015
It's time to sign up for a Twitter account #MuslimID @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/CPS71kEiKm
— al (@almayyahi89) November 24, 2015
Hey @realDonaldTrump , here's my #MuslimID ! When you start monitoring me, please log how many lives I help! pic.twitter.com/Xw4rAI5cND
— Dr. Mohamed Jalloh (@DrMohamedRx) November 24, 2015
Hey @realDonaldTrump, I'm an American Muslim and I already carry a special ID badge. Where's yours? #SemperFi #USMC pic.twitter.com/QSf2O9PTi2
— Tayyib M. Rashid (@MuslimMarine) November 19, 2015
@realDonaldTrump Muslim and proud #MuslimID pic.twitter.com/PU2nhYz2AB
— Monica (@monica94608) November 24, 2015
hey @realDonaldTrump i take care of our vets, the underinsured, the indigent - proud to carry my #MuslimID pic.twitter.com/VEcXZxli3r
— (@mariamhoudini) November 21, 2015
Hey @realDonaldTrump, here is my #MuslimID. Proudly working at the @UN to help address dire needs of the world. pic.twitter.com/qQbPxgTNAA
— Hazami Barmada (@HazamiBarmada) November 21, 2015
Hey @realDonaldTrump here's my #MuslimID I take care of your sick, regardless of race, religion or creed. pic.twitter.com/V0Y62tsMLl
— Shabbir Hossain, MD (@ShabbirHossain) November 21, 2015
@realDonaldTrump I'm an American-Muslim, I serve and protect my community. Where's your ID. #thinblueline #muslimID pic.twitter.com/OwrjVLCMSX
— Shahzad Khan (@shiz006) November 21, 2015
Hey @realDonaldTrump, my #MuslimID via Princeton U. Yep I'm an affiliate volunteer at a most prestigious university. pic.twitter.com/wtxzhKL2gx
— Arshe Ahmed (@arshe2020) November 20, 2015
Mr Trump: If it has to be a picture ID maybe I could use this as my #MuslimID? pic.twitter.com/YBPp3g8KL4
— Zareena Grewal, PhD (@ZareenaGrewal) November 20, 2015
Mr Trump has refused to respond to comparisons of his proposal with Hitler’s treatment of Europe’s Jews.
The hopeful has said previously that he would send all Syrian refugees who settle in the US back to their home country if he became president as the US “cannot take a chance” that some of the refugees may be affiliated with Isis.
The country’s House of Representatives last week passed a bill to tighten restrictions on Syrian and Iraqi refugees settling in the US. It is still to be considered by the Senate.
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