Donald Trump was challenged by a Muslim woman at Sunday night’s presidential debate over how he would deal with the rise of “Islamophobia” against Muslims in the U.S.
Trump acknowledged the the prejudice exists and called it a “shame.”
But he said Muslims in the country must do a better job of policing their own and alerting authorities when they see suspicious activity.
The Republican presidential nominee pivoted off of that to attack Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for refusing to use the term “radical Islamic terror.”
“She won’t say the name, but the name is there, and before you solve the problem, you have to say the name,” Trump said.
Clinton took a more personal approach with the Muslim woman, approaching her and apologizing for the “dismissive and dark” things that had been said during the presidential campaign about Muslims — a clear swipe at Trump, who has called for a temporary ban on allowing Muslims to enter the country.
She alleged that radical jihadists are using Trump’s rhetoric to recruit new terrorists.
“This is a gift to [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria] and terrorists and violent jihadists,” Clinton said. “We are not at war with Islam, and it’s a mistake to act like we are. It plays into their hands.”