Trump rejects criticism of his proposal to ban Muslims

SOUTH CAROLINA (AP):

Donald Trump yesterday stood by his call to block all Muslims from entering the United States (US), even as the idea was widely condemned by rival Republican presidential candidates, party leaders and others as un-American.

Trump, the front-runner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, defended his plan for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" by comparing it with President Franklin Roosevelt's decision to detain Japanese Americans during World War II.

"This is a president who was highly respected by all," Trump said yesterday. "If you look at what he was doing, it was far worse."

Trump's campaign has been marked by a pattern of inflammatory statements, dating back to his harsh rhetoric about Mexican immigrants. He has taken a particularly hard line against Muslims in the days since the Paris attacks, advocating enhanced surveillance of mosques due to fears over radicalisation.

Since the November 13 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds more, a number of Republican presidential contenders have proposed restrictions on Syrian refugees, with several suggesting preference for Christians seeking asylum and tighter surveillance in the US.

But Trump's proposed ban goes much further, and his Republican rivals were quick to reject the latest provocation from a candidate who has delivered no shortage of them. "Donald Trump is unhinged," Jeb Bush said via Twitter. "His 'policy' proposals are not serious."