The foreign minister for the United Arab Emirates said that Trump did not impose an entry ban on Muslims, in contrast with the apparent contentions of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. 

Foreign Minister for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s executive order over the weekend, which placed a 90-day entry ban on nationals from seven Muslim countries, is not a ban directed against Muslims.

“The United States has made a sovereign decision,” he said during a joint press conference in Abu Dhabi with his visiting Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. “There is a temporary ban and it will be revised in 3 months, so it is important that we put into consideration this point.”

The UAE foreign minister also noted that the temporary ban does not apply to the predominant majority of the world’s Muslim population and that it was therefore inaccurate to claim that the ban was “directed against a particular religion.”

“Some of these countries that were on this list are countries that face structural problems,” he added. “These countries should try to solve these issues before trying to solve this issue with the United States.”

The remarks of the UAE foreign minister starkly differ with those of the Arab League as well as those of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation that argued Trump’s 90-day ban is “selective and discriminatory.” Iran’s Vice-President, Eshaq Jahangiri, has called for his country to seek redress with international bodies as a result of Trump’s “illegal, inhumane and anti-human-rights” executive order.

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News

The post United Arab Emirates: Trump ban is not a Muslim ban appeared first on World Israel News.

As many senior Iranian politicians voiced protests against Trump’s 90-day entry ban on nationals from 7 Muslim countries, Iran’s vice-president is calling for his country to seek redress from international bodies. 

Iran’s Vice-President, Eshaq Jahangiri, has called on his country to reach out to international bodies to review President Trump’s executive order last Friday placing a temporary, 90-day entry ban on nationals from seven Muslim countries (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen).

“We will definitely take a stance against this illegal, inhumane and anti-human-rights activity in international bodies,” declared Jahangiri according to Iranian news agency IRNA (Islamic Republican News Agency).

“We will review and explore American human rights in international bodies in order to let the world to know what a system they are facing,” he added.

Other prominent officials in Iran criticized Trump’s executive order as well.

“Collective discrimination aids terrorist recruitment by deepening faultlines exploited by extremist demagogues to swell their ranks,” wrote Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on Twitter who referred to the 90-day ban as a “great gift to extremists.”

Zarif also touched on Iran’s tit-for-tat response by banning Americans from entering the country until the entry ban in Trump’s executive order no longer applies, stressing that it was slightly less restrictive than Trump’s ban.

“Unlike the U.S., our decision is not retroactive,” Zarif also wrote on Twitter. “All with valid Iranian visa will be gladly welcomed.”

Iran’s Speaker of the Parliament, Ali Larijani, accused the Trump administration of engaging in racist tactics. Larijani claimed that Trump’s executive order has “exposed their brutal racist manner hidden behind their demagogic veneer which pretends to be pro-democracy and pro-human rights.”

Trump meanwhile rejected assertions that his executive order was discriminatory in nature.

“To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting,” Trump said in a statement. “This is not about religion- this is about terror and keeping our country safe.”

“There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order, he added, stressing that visas will be issued again “to all countries once we are sure we have reviewed and implemented the most secure policies over the next 90 days.”

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News

The post Iran to seek redress with international bodies against Trump’s entry ban appeared first on World Israel News.