Trump’s election has ripple effect through African continent and its Muslims

President-elect Donald Trump’s incessant use of racist, bigotry and anti-Semitic words against people of various religious faith during the recently concluded America’s election have attracted the ire of Islamic scholars in Africa, which has led to a stern warning issued to Muslims from Africa’s most populous black nation to shelve any intending travels to America being a sign of protest against discrimination and obsessed Islamophobia.

Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC made this declaration regarding the victory of Trump. The group urged all Nigerian Muslims, other African tourists with the plans of traveling to the United States to suspend their trips immediately. The group believes Trump’s victory has negative implications for Muslims in the United States and across the world.

{mosads}MURIC repeatedly warned all Nigerian Muslims planning to travel to the United States to suspend their trips. The group said Trump’s victory is a bad sign for all Muslims. In a statement signed by MURIC director, Ishaq Akintola: “Americanization of virtually everything is coupled with his tortuous isolationism and a pathological obsession with Islamophobia.”

Akintola reveals implication of ‘Trumpism-bigotry’: “The contemptuous treatment of Muslims traveling in or out of America has long been a matter of serious concern to advocates of free movement and fundamental human rights. This is coupled with the horrendous policy of rendition whereby Muslims are kidnapped en route other destinations and forcefully taken to the dreaded Guatemala to face America’s notorious water budding and other forms of inhuman treatment.

“The advent of Donald Trump is the last straw that broke the camel’s back. The American President-elect has divided America along racial and religious lines. He threatened to close mosques. He also swore to give Muslims a special database in order to control terrorism. Trump may be an iconoclast, but the Americans who voted for him were not deaf. They heard him loud and clear,” Akintola said.

Akintola explained that Trump’s threat, his victory and the Brexit means that Western democracies are jettisoning globalization for nationalism: “MURIC respects the wish of Americans to stand by their national interest. We call on Muslims around the world to also respect the wish of the American people to be left alone,” he said. 

Akintola went on to say: “Nonetheless, we reiterate our avowed rejection of racist and hate speeches. We disown violent groups like Al-Qaida and ISIS who instigate Muslims to kill Americans and attack American and Western interests. Qur’an 49:13 is a categorical vote for the universality of mankind and Islam is a religion for all nations. Therefore no nation should be set aside for hatred. This group advised Muslims around the world not to nurse any malice or grudge against the Americans over Trump’s victory. Akintola said only a few Americans are in support of trump’s ‘weird’ policies. He won the election via the Electoral College but received fewer votes than Hillary Clinton. The victory of Trump reveals the paradoxical underbelly of the world’s greatest democracy. American minority has had its way.” 

Akintola said any Nigerian or African Muslim who ignores this advice is on his own. “We also advise immigrant Muslims residing in the United States to return to their countries or be prepared for harsh treatments including increased Islamophobic attacks. Americans must be allowed to fix their own country,” he said.

If it is nationalism and a rejection of globalism and plurality that the west wants, then Trump’s election has sent a clear signal to Africa and the emerging world. As those in Africa and the emerging nation’s react, will America and the west listen? 

George Elijah Otumu is an award winning journalist whose work has appeared in publications in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, United Arab Emirates (UAE); United Kingdom and the United States.

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