November 20, 2015
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump drew heavy criticism after saying Thursday that he would implement a database to keep track of Muslims in the United States and require them to register in response to the attacks in Paris.
Trump, interviewed by NBC News after a campaign appearance Thursday night in Iowa, was asked if there should be a database to monitor Muslims in the United States.
"I would certainly implement that, absolutely," he said. Asked how that differed from efforts last century to track Jews in Nazi Germany, Trump responded: "You tell me."
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Afterward, a Muslim Marine sergeant took to Twitter to challenge Trump's call for the database.
The former Marine, identified by the Daily Mail as Sergeant Tayyib Rashid, posted an image of his "Armed Forces of the United States" identity card on his account.
"Where's yours?" he asked Trump.
Hey @realDonaldTrump, I'm an American Muslim and I already carry a special ID badge. Where's yours? #SemperFi #USMC pic.twitter.com/QSf2O9PTi2
— ProudAmericanMuslim (@MuslimMarine) November 19, 2015
Rashid's tweet generated more than 9,000 retweets and 11,000 likes as of Friday afternoon.
Many Twitter users expressed their support and thanked him for his service.
"@MuslimMarin I'm an English Christian. We are all human first. Alhamdulillah -- thank you for your service. X," Twitter user @BadgerBeetle wrote.
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton denounced Trump's Muslim database proposal.
This is shocking rhetoric. It should be denounced by all seeking to lead this country. -H https://t.co/qs2TJI5spu
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 20, 2015
Two Republican presidential rivals, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Ohio Governor John Kasich, also criticized his comments.
Trump tied his database proposal to his immigration policy, which has become a central focus of his campaign for the Republican nomination in the November 2016 election.
Reuters contributed to this report.
