REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Deputy Chairman of the House' Inter-parliamentary Cooperation Committee (BKSAP) Rofi Munawar said that the United States President Donald Trump's immigrant policy could complicate the dialogue between the Islamic world and the West. "Trump's immigrant policy has caused concern among Muslims," Munawar said in a press statement received here on Monday.
Munawar said that Trump's policy was based on the excessive assumptions against Islam. Trump assumed that Islam was related to acts of terror. "In fact, Islam has diverse aspects that do not stand alone and has proved to have major contributions to civilization and world peace," he affirmed.
The policy indicated that the dialogue process was not a top priority in Trump's government to build diplomacy with Muslim-majority countries, he noted. In addition, the lawmaker remarked that the policy was made based on the excessive concerns against terrorism. "The policy has showed that Trump could not find the best formula to face the current crisis in the United States," he emphasized.
Reuters reported that Trump on Friday put a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States and temporarily barred travelers from Syria and six other Muslim-majority countries, saying the moves would help protect Americans from terrorist attacks.
Also read: Trump's policy feared to trigger anti Islam in the United States
Trump said the most sweeping use of his presidential powers since taking office a week ago, barring travelers from the seven nations for at least 90 days, would give his administration time to develop more stringent screening procedures for refugees, immigrants and visitors. "I'm establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America. Don't want them here," Trump said earlier on Friday at the Pentagon.
"We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love our people deeply," he said.
The bans, though temporary, took effect immediately, causing havoc and confusion for would-be travelers with passports from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.