London's first Muslim mayor rejects Trump's offer to be an 'exception' to ban

(Image credit: Rob Stothard/Getty Images)

published 10 May 2016

London's first Muslim mayor swiftly turned down Donald Trump's assurance that he would be allowed in the United States as an "exception" to a hypothetical Muslim ban. "This isn't just about me. It's about my friends, my family, and everyone who comes from a background similar to mine, anywhere in the world," Mayor Sadiq Khan told BuzzFeed.

On Monday, Trump told The New York Times that "there will always be exceptions" to his proposed ban, and that Khan would likely be among them. Khan had previously slammed Trump's proposed ban, telling Time that, "I want to go to America to meet with and engage with American mayors…If Donald Trump becomes the president I'll be stopped from going there by virtue of my faith."

Khan has since torn into Trump for holding "ignorant" views of Islam and claimed that the presumptive Republican nominee's ideas put both England and the U.S. in danger. "Donald Trump and those around him think that Western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam," Khan said. "London has proved him wrong."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.