Graham: Trump is ‘declaring war on the Muslim faith’

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Thursday that Donald Trump is inflaming global tensions with Islam by calling for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S.

“This is a religious war and Donald Trump is putting our soldiers and diplomats at risk,” he said on “MSNBC Live with José Díaz-Balart.”

{mosads}“What he’s doing is declaring war on the Muslim faith,” Graham continued of his rival for the GOP’s 2016 presidential nomination.

“When you say that no Muslim can come to the United States, you’re helping ISIL,” he said, using an alternate acronym for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“He’s doing exactly the wrong thing. He has no idea what he’s doing. He appears to be strong, but he’s really not.”

Graham said eliminating jihadist groups like ISIS is in the best interest of Muslims worldwide, so it is counterproductive to alienate them.

“What I want to do is partner with people in the faith, which is 99 percent of them, to destroy a radical strain of Islam that threatens us all,” Graham said.

“The largest [number of] victims of Muslim terror, of radical Islam, is other Muslims. They want to destroy ISIL as much as we do.

“It’s destroying their societies, corrupting their faith, and ISIL will chop their heads off. I would go to the capitals of the Arab world and enlist their support to destroy ISIL.”

Graham additionally criticized Trump for repeatedly teasing a third-party White House run when Republicans disagree with his rhetoric.

“He’s playing on prejudice and xenophobia and he’s threatening to leave the Republican Party if we’re not nice.”

“If you’re truly strong, you can take criticism. Taking your ball and running away is not a strong man’s approach.”

Trump sparked outrage by suggesting a temporary ban on admitting Muslims within America’s borders. He has defended the proposal as necessary for preventing radical Islamic terrorism on U.S. soil.

The suggested ban has widespread support among likely Republican primary voters, with 65 percent supporting the idea.