'I want somebody else in the White House': London's religious leaders slam Donald Trump's travel ban

Travel ban: Donald Trump's controversial move has sparked outrage across the world
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Fiona Simpson31 January 2017
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Religious leaders from the capital have condemned Donald Trump’s travel ban and have called on Londoners to be kinder to each other to avoid further “persecution”.

On Friday, the President banned US entry for people from seven Muslim-majority countries – Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen – and temporarily halted the admission of refugees.

The move has sparked mass protests, both in the US and across the world.

Travel ban: Protestors march on Downing Street 
PA

Now, representatives from religious groups across the city have spoken out against President Trump’s decision.

Rabbi Herschel Gluck, President of Stamford Hill Shomrim and Founder of the Muslim Jewish Forum, said he “wished there was someone else in the White House”.

He told the Standard: “People should not have to face this kind of suffering, it is not worth comparing to things that have happened in the past but it shouldn’t be happening.

“We, in London, need to be kinder to each other to avoid more persecution. On the Tube, in the street, to our neighbours, we need to be nicer to counteract the hate.”

Theresa May: The Prime Minister is under pressure to speak out against the ban 
PA

Simon Johnson, Chief Executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, based in north west London, added: “The outpouring of Jewish voices including the Chief Rabbi, fifty other religious leaders and hundreds of young people protesting on the street, shows the level of disquiet within the Jewish community.”

Meanwhile, Harun Khan, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, based in east London, branded the ban “downright dangerous to our values of equality and non-discrimination”.

He added: “Our government should express in no uncertain terms how daft this policy is to its US counterparts, and press home how counter-productive it is in its professed fight to confront terrorism.

Furious campaigners: Tens of thousands of people descended on the capital in protest 
PA

“In front of Mr Trump, the Prime Minister said that the point of the ‘Special Relationship’ was to have a frank dialogue.

"Well, this is one area where we need to be frank about where we stand. As an important ally of the United States, surely we have a duty to remind them of the values on which they were founded upon.”

However, Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, said in an interview with the Evening Standard that condemning President Trump’s policies would “foster extremism”.

He said: “I have learned really that condemnation belongs to the Devil.

"I think that if you go round smiting people, what tends to happen is they become even more extreme than they were before.

“I don’t think outright hostility and the condemnation of half the US population who voted for Trump is likely to do much except confirm every prejudice.”

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