Can’t say Donald Trump is BACK in the news, ‘coz he never left it. Remember that ‘Muslim ban’ he promised during the elections? Well, he’s gone ahead and done it.
During his presidential campaign, Trump promised to ban all Muslims from entering the US but then later said it would be “extreme vetting” of immigrants.
He’s now signed an order stopping the entry of foreign nationals from 7 Muslim-majority nations: Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Iraq. It’s a 3-month ban. But refugees are banned for 120 days
But, Syrian refugees, who make up the majority of the global refugee population, are banned indefinitely.
The order also prioritises Christians and members of religious minority groups in Muslim countries.
Diplomatic visa holders will be allowed and White House Chief of Staff Priebus has said the ban doesn’t affect Green Card holders but he adds that they’ll be subjected to extra screening.
Uh, the order also says that these 7 countries are just the first on the list and more countries could be added. The White House has said it’s considering adding Pakistan.
For now, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait and Russia are all excluded from this list. Here’s the weird bit (Yes, weirder than things already are) Citizens from these countries HAVE been linked to terror attacks in the US while NO citizens from the 7 countries listed have conducted any terror attacks in the US in the period after 9/11. The list also excludes Muslim-majority countries which the Trump Organisation has business ties in including Turkey and Azerbaijan.
India’s not on the list but this DOES set the tone for future legislation on the H-1B visa. A lot of Indian software engineers working in America are H-1B visa holders. Also, the woman who inspired Shah Rukh Khan’s Swades said she was stopped by cops in her hometown and questioned about her immigration status.
Protests began ACROSS America immediately after people began to be detained or deported. A New York federal judge issued an order temporarily blocking the deportation of those with valid visas who arrived after the ban. Photos of lawyers setting up office at airports to help the detained travellers are going viral.
Looks like EVERYONE hates the order. The Iranian government has said it’s blocking entry to US citizens. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come out in support of the refugees and has announced that Canada will accept those who the US turns away. The Foreign Minister of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, has slammed it too.
Starbucks has responded to the order by saying it will hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years. Kumail Najiani, a Pakistani-American stand-up comic has slammed the ban. So have Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Seth Rogen and Michael Moore. Indian-American journo Fareed Zakaria has attacked Trump viciously.
But Trump insists it’s not a “Muslim ban”. Well if it’s just a ban on immigrants, here’s a list of immigrants to the US who made it YUUUGE.
Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui, Mohd Ibrahim and Purnendu Pritam
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