The leader of Beaumont’s Islamic Society of the Triplex says he was forced to resign on Thursday after he publicly endorsed Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump‘s plan to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S.
Nidal Alsayyed, who served as the Islamic Society of the Triplex’ religious director and imam, said in an interview on Fox News’ Hannity Show on Wednesday night that American Muslims overreacted to the statement made by Trump earlier this week.
“I’d consider it a very wise move to hold any Muslim (immigrants) or even visitors until we know that all Muslims really understand what it takes to live in the Western countries or the United States,” he told the show’s anchor, Sean Hannity.
Alsayyed, who is also the president of the Muslim Student Association at Lamar University, told Hannity that not all Muslims understand or abide by Sharia law, the legal framework within which the public and some private aspects of life are regulated for those living in a legal system based on Islam.
His comments on the show prompted the Society to oust Alsayyed on Thursday, he said.
“Anyone who is less sincere to this country (U.S.), he is most probably not sincere to his religion,” Alsayyed said in a statement posted to Lamar’s Muslim Student Association Facebook page late Thursday. In the statement, Alsayyed said he’d been “forced to resign” from the society because of his televised comments.
A spokesperson for the Islamic Society of the Triplex could not be reached for comment late Thursday.
As of Thursday evening, Alsayyed continued to serve as the president of Lamar’s Muslim Student Association.