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Public fury over the Trump administration’s ban on travel from several Muslim majority countries may not be abating, but many Muslims in the Middle East and beyond are taking the measure in stride.
The ban on travel from seven predominantly Muslim nations – Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen � has triggered vocal condemnations from Baghdad and Tehran, but elsewhere in the Islamic world, the criticism has remained subdued.
It took the world’s largest body of Islamic countries more than two days to react, and only with a carefully worded statement that fell short of the denunciation heard in the United States and Europe.
The Saudi-based, 57-nation Organization of Islamic Conference expressed grave concern about the measure, saying it would only serve to embolden the radical narratives of extremists and will provide further fuel to the advocates of violence and terrorism.
In addition to barring citizens of the seven Muslim countries from traveling to the United States for 90 days, the executive order includes a 120-day suspension of refugee admissions.
The most forceful reaction came from Iran, which threatened retaliatory measures to bar Americans.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the move will be recorded in history as a great gift to extremists and their supporters.
The Iraqi response was just as sharp, with parliament calling for a reciprocal travel ban on Americans if Washington does not withdraw its decision. But reaction from other Muslim countries, including those affected by the ban, was more measured.
Source: Voice of America