I don't want exemption from 'ignorant' Trump: Sadiq Khan

Sadiq Khan, the new mayor of London, has rejected “ignorant” US presidential candidate Donald Trump’s offer that he could be an exception to his proposed ban on all Muslims entering the United States.

Khan said on Tuesday that Trump’s call to prevent Muslims from travelling to the US directly affected the people closest to him, and added that offering an exception for him was not the answer, The Guardian reported.

“This isn’t just about me – it’s about my friends, my family and everyone who comes from a background similar to mine, anywhere in the world,” said Khan, the son of a Pakistani bus driver, who scored a resounding victory over his billionaire Conservative rival last week.

“Donald Trump’s ignorant view of Islam could make both our countries less safe – it risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of the extremists,” Khan said.

“Donald Trump and those around him think that Western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam – London has proved him wrong,” he added.

Trump, the US Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, told the New York Times on Monday that he was “happy” to see Khan elected, and wished him well.

ME