President Trump wished "all Muslims a joyful Ramadan" in a statement on Friday that quickly veered into a rant about terrorism, violence, and "perverted ideology."
"This year, the holiday begins as the world mourns the innocent victims of barbaric terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom and Egypt, acts of depravity that are directly contrary to the spirit of Ramadan," Trump wrote. "Such acts only steel our resolve to defeat the terrorists and their perverted ideology."
Ramadan, which begins Friday night and lasts until the end of June, is a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and charity. Trump added: "I reiterate my message delivered in Riyadh: America will always stand with our partners against terrorism and the ideology that fuels it. During this month of Ramadan, let us be resolved to spare no measure so that we may ensure that future generations will be free of this scourge and able to worship and commune in peace."
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Trump's statement comes a day after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit upheld a nationwide block of the ban on travel from six majority-Muslim countries, with the court claiming Trump's order "speaks with vague words of national security, but in context drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination." The Justice Department announced it would ask the Supreme Court to review the court order.
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