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| Ted Cruz |
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz called on law enforcement agents to “patrol and secure” Muslim neighborhoods after the Brussels bombings that claimed more than 30 lives on Tuesday morning.
Cruz, the second-placed presidential hopeful in the GOP race, also urged rejecting refugees from countries with significant al-Qaeda or ISIS presence.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. The senator from Texas was quick to blame the blasts on “Islamic terrorists.”
He said Europe is now witnessing the results of a “toxic mix of migrants” who have been infiltrated by terrorists.
“We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized,” Cruz said in a press release.
In a separate statement, he said the United States is at war with radical Islam.
It is not clear what Cruz meant by “Muslim neighborhoods.” Michigan cities, Dearborn and Hamtramck, have a high concentration of Muslim Americans, but they are governed by local, state and federal laws.
Both communities have police departments that maintain law and order in the neighborhoods.
Muslim American activist Shaffwan Ahmed slammed Cruz, saying the senator is taking a page from Donald Trump’s playbook to appeal to bigots.
“I’m absolutely disgusted that Ted Cruz chose this attack as an opportunity for voter pandering,” Ahmed said. “He went and vilified an innocent community in America that had nothing to do with the attack in Brussels.”
Community activist Asha Noor said although what Cruz is calling for concerning, it is already happening.
Noor said the federal government is monitoring Muslim communities through programs like Countering Violent Extremism.
“We already have CVE programs in Boston, Los Angeles and Minneapolis. They’re planning to expand in several parts of the country,” she said. “There’s already increased surveillance in Muslim communities, whether they say there is or not.”
But Noor criticized Cruz for capitalizing politically on the tragedy in Belgium.
“It is a justification of increasing state security, violence and infringement on our civil liberties and Constitutional rights,” she said.
The activist cited a recent study by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, saying that mosque attendance is linked to greater civic engagement, not extremism.
According to the survey, Muslims who regularly attend mosques are more likely to vote and cooperate with their neighbors to address community issues.
“This completely dispels the myth that Islam leads to radicalization,” Noor said.
Dearborn state rep. candidate Brian Stone encouraged denouncing and challenging statements that smear Muslim Americans, saying such rhetoric encourages hate crimes.
“The only extra security we need in Dearborn is to protect Muslim Americans from Trump and Cruz supporters,” he said. “Dearborn is a model the rest of America should be following, not fearing.”
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) accused Cruz of exploiting the terrorist attack in Brussels.
“As a presidential candidate who says that he continues to ‘champion Americans’ religious liberty,’ Senator Cruz’s attack on the religious freedom of Muslim Americans is not only wrong, but highly hypocritical,” the organization said in a statement.
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