A Muslim advocacy group is challenging Donald Trump to a debate after he shared a myth involving Muslims and pig’s blood last week.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council dared the Republican front-runner Saturday to agree to a debate “on his vision of America and his warped understanding of its faith and community.”
The latest incident that riled the Muslim community was a rally in South Carolina on Friday, where Trump told the audience a conspiracy-filled tale apparently spread via email chain. He approvingly described how Army Gen. John Pershing executed dozens of Muslim prisoners in the Philippines during a guerrilla war against occupying U.S. forces.
“He took 50 bullets, and he dipped them in pig’s blood and he had his men load his rifles and he lined up the 50 people and they shot 49 of those people. And [to] the 50th person he said ‘You go back to your people and you tell them what happened’ and for 25 years there wasn’t a problem,” Trump said.
Since that campaign event, Muslim groups have cried foul, including one warning that Trump’s “inflammatory rhetoric has crossed the line from spreading hatred to inciting violence,”
Trump has also called for a “total and complete” ban on all Muslims entering the U.S. in response to heightened fear of Islamic extremism.
In a letter sent to the Trump campaign, MPAC wrote:
“Ever since you announced your run for Presidency of the United States, you have scapegoated the American Muslim community and other minority groups for all your perceived ills of America.
The truth is that you — and your supporters — are scared of anything that is different than you.
You rely on the promotion of fear and Internet lies to fuel the flames of hate and divisiveness across our country.
You have no understanding of the world in which you live. That’s why you insist on backward policies, such as building walls and segregating communities based on religion, as a desperate attempt to create a false sense of strength and security, and to preserve your distorted view of what makes America great.
Well, we have news for you: We will no longer be bullied. We will no longer be your punching bag.
We challenge you to a debate with a representative from the American Muslim community on the issues you have raised about Islam and Muslims.
We are confident that you, a person of great rhetorical ability, will appreciate this opportunity to showcase to America your strength and knowledge in such matters.”
