South Asia Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin writes for Voice of America on the alienating rhetoric of presidential candidate Donald Trump following his remark to bar all foreign Muslims from entering the United States:
It is tempting to dismiss Trump as a narcissistic buffoon whose policy “ideas” have little chance of being implemented even if he were somehow to be elected president. But given the way U.S. campaign rhetoric plays abroad in an era of instant communication and social media, Trump’s irresponsible remarks only poured gasoline on the flames of ingrained anti-U.S. sentiments.
The litany of Muslim grievances against America is long and replete with conspiracy theories that may seem far-fetched but make sense to people struggling with civil war, sectarian division and poor governance.