Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş on Tuesday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's 'unacceptable' travel ban on citizens from seven Muslim majority countries, urging the U.S. to 'review' the executive order.
Kurtulmuş told Habertürk daily that the practice, which restricts the entry of citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen into the country, is unacceptable.
"I believe that Islamophobia, which has been on the rise in the West, anti-migrant sentiment and xenophobia have unfortunately contributed to this decision," Kurtulmuş said, adding that it fuels discrimination, and should be immediately fixed.
The Deputy PM highlighted that it is wrong to categorically label citizens of specific countries as 'bad,' noting that there could be good and evil from all countries.
"Democratic countries and the international community should create a network for individuals involved in illegal and terrorist activities, and strengthen the international coalition against such individuals", Kurtulmuş said.
Kurtulmuş warned the West to be aware of the fact that Islamophobia and terrorist organizations such as Daesh both serve the same purpose and make the lives of 1.7 billion Muslims miserable.
Trump signed an executive order last Friday, which includes a 90-day travel ban to the U.S. from the nationals of Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya and the suspension of the U.S. refugee program for 120 days. The decision sparked nation-wide protests in the U.S. and has received criticism from the U.N., as well as human rights organizations.
