Colorado Muslim Leaders Concerned About Donald Trump's New Plan
By Stan Bush
DENVER (CBS4) - Colorado Muslim leaders say Donald Trump is making the world more dangerous.
On Monday the Republican presidential candidate called for all Muslims, including U.S. citizens, to be barred from re-entering the country.
The statement comes a day after President Obama called on the country to tone down divisive rhetoric to unite the fight against radical Islamic terrorists. On the same day, new polling shows Trump now trailing Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the Iowa primary among likely voters.
"It will create more hatred and as a human being it's not good to create this kind of hatred towards each other," said Muzaffar Shah, president of the Colorado Muslim Society.
Shah says he is nervous about the possibility of a Trump candidacy in a general election.
"We have to show ourselves as citizens that are peaceful and that will change his mind," Shah said.
Shah expects the Republican primary to become a frequent topic of discussion at his mosque. He says inflammatory statements on Muslims intend to divide the country against peaceful believers of the faith.
He says Muslims need to respond with peace and friendship and ignore speech that many consider hateful.
"We have to be careful and implement our religion in our daily life," Shah said.
Stan Bush is a general assignment reporter at CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 10. Read his bio and follow him on Twitter @StanBushTV.
