The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales frown upon Donald Trump's proposal of forcing American Muslims to register on a database in light of the Paris attacks. The leader of the Catholic bishops described the suggestion as "objectionable."
In a press conference, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, 70, condemned the suggestion of Trump that there is a need for American Muslims to be registered in a database. According to the cardinal, Republican presidential candidate could not be wronger.
"I think we have to keep in the forefront minds that we first must respect the human dignity of people especially people in desperate need," stated the cardinal. "To pick out a single group of people and say they must be registered as potential suspects I think is to set out on the wrong track."
Moreover, the cardinal claimed that to treat people of other religious affiliation differently, as being suggested by Trump, is "objectionable."
Nichols also shut down the suggestion of another presidential candidate, Jeb Bush, to implement a "Christian-only" policy when it comes to accepting refugees. The cardinal abhor the idea because the "generosity of the Catholic Church" has never been limited to Catholics but offered to everyone," as he explained. He added that refugees are victims, and not the ones to blame.
"We should not cast the mischief made by a tiny number of people across the shoulders of people who are desperate and themselves victims of terrible violence," the cardinal stated. He also said different faiths should work together to support the Muslim community in this trying period.
Apart from the Church, Trump's comments were criticized by other presidential candidates. Speaking with CNBC, Jeb Bush said that the ideas of internment, closing mosques, and registering people are all wrong. Bush also claimed that this would just "manipulate people's angst and their fears." For him, this is a weakness. Hilary Clinton followed suit, denouncing Trump's comments on her Twitter.
The national spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations claimed that Trump's comments made them feel at a loss for words. For him, compelling Muslims to register with a database is comparable to the events of prewar Nazi Germany.
On his part, Trump defended himself through Twitter. He said that it was not him who suggested a database of Muslims, but a reporter. Moreover, he agreed that a database of terrorists is needed, not a database of Muslims.
I didn't suggest a database-a reporter did. We must defeat Islamic terrorism & have surveillance, including a watch list, to protect America
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2015
Some American viewers are not convinced, as evidenced by the range of negative comments his tweet garnered.
