Trump: I'd 'strongly consider' shutting down some mosques

Colin Campbell (ccampbell@businessinsider.com)
Updated
Trump: We Must Watch and Study Mosques
Trump: We Must Watch and Study Mosques


Real-estate mogul Donald Trump said Monday that he would "strongly consider" shutting down certain mosques if he became president.

"I would hate to do it," Trump said of the notion. "But it's something that you're going to have to strongly consider."

"Because some of the ideas and some of the hatred — the absolute hatred — is coming from these areas," he added.

The Republican front-runner made the comments during a "Morning Joe" interview.

Host Joe Scarborough pointed out that the French government is apparently discussing the dissolution of "mosques where hate is preached" in the aftermath of last week's terror attacks in Paris, which left at least 129 people dead. The Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

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"It's something that many people — it's not me — it's something that many people are considering, and many people are going to do," Trump said. "The hatred is incredible. It's embedded. It's embedded. The hatred is beyond belief. The hatred is greater than anybody understands."

Earlier in the interview, Trump also called for additional surveillance of mosques after New York City Bill de Blasio (D) curtailed some of the NYPD's surveillance of the local Muslim community.

"You're going to have to watch and study the mosques," Trump said when asked what additional steps steps should be taken to improve security in the US.

"Because a lot of talk is going on at the mosques. And from what I heard, in the old days — meaning a while ago — we had great surveillance going in and around mosques in New York City," he continued. "And I understand our mayor totally cut that out."

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