Donald Trump remarks on Muslims spark social media backlash

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said during Sunday’s debate that his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the country has “morphed” into a plan for “extreme vetting” of refugees.

Trump said he was worried that refugees from country like Syria could be a “Trojan horse.” Democrat Hillary Clinton denounced Trump and defended bringing refugees to the United States.

“We are a country founded on religious freedom and liberty. How do we do what [Trump] has advocated without causing great distress within our country?” she said. “Are we going to have religious tests when people fly into our country?”

Asked about the issue of Islamophobia, Trump said that while it is an issue, Muslims who come into the country must “report when they see something going on”.

The FBI says Muslims already do report what they see. This summer, the FBI’s director said “some of our most productive relationships are with people who see things and tell us things who happen to be Muslim,” according to Reuters.

In response to Trump’s suggestion that Muslims report what’s going on, several Muslims began to follow his suggestion.

Other Muslims were concerned that the candidates only spoke about Muslims in relation to Isis or other terrorists.

Republican voters are more likely to suggest that the values of Islam are at odds with an American way of life. According to a recent Public Religion Research Institute poll, 79 percent of Republicans say this, compared with 42 percent of Democrats, or 57 percent of Americans.

Many Americans (59 percent) believe American Muslims face “a lot” of discrimination, with 74 percent of Democrats compared with 42 percent of Republicans, according to the Pew Research Center.