United Arab Emirates: Trump ban is not a Muslim ban

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

Arab LeagueIranJahangiriMuslim banOICSheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-NahyanUnited Arab Emirates