Khan: Trump has 'ignorant view of Islam'
London (CNN)Donald Trump has suggested London's new mayor would be exempt from his proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States, prompting the leader of the British capital to slam the American presidential candidate's "ignorant" take on Islam.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, told the New York Times Monday that he was "happy" that Sadiq Khan had been elected mayor of London, the first Muslim to hold the position.
Asked by the newspaper how his proposed temporary ban on Muslims from entering the country would affect Khan, Trump replied: "There will always be exceptions."
"I was happy to see that," he said, referring to Khan's win in London's mayoral election Thursday, which made the 45-year-old the first Muslim elected mayor of a major Western capital city.
"I think it's a very good thing, and I hope he does a very good job because frankly that would be very, very good."
Trump sparked controversy when he called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on" in the wake of the Paris terror attacks in November.
Khan: Trump has 'ignorant view of Islam'
Trump's admiration for Khan does not appear to be mutual. London's new mayor had previously accused his rival, Zac Goldsmith, of drawing from the "Donald Trump playbook" by targeting his religion during the city's bitter mayoral campaign.
And on Tuesday he responded to Trump with a statement criticizing the business mogul's position on Islam.
"Donald Trump's ignorant view of Islam could make both our countries less safe -- it risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of the extremists," he said.
"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. Donald Trump and those around him think that western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam -- London has proved him wrong."
He told TIME magazine in an interview published Monday: "I think to try and look for differences, to try and turn communities against each other is not conducive to living successfully and amicably."
Trump faces backlash in Scotland over Muslim comments 04:17
If Trump won the U.S. election, Khan said, "I'll be stopped from going there by virtue of my faith, which means I can't engage with American mayors and swap ideas. Conservative tacticians thought those sorts of tactics would win London and they were wrong. I'm confident that Donald Trump's approach to politics won't win in America."
Trump's comments about Islam provoked an angry response in the UK, triggering a public petition to ban Trump from the country for hate speech.
In January, British parliamentarians held a non-binding debate on the petition, which attracted more than 570,000 signatures, with one MP opining: "I don't think Donald Trump should be allowed within 1,000 miles of our shore."
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