DEARBORN — Since he announced his candidacy for president, real estate mogul Donald Trump has garnered both considerable support and extreme opposition due to his proposed polices on immigration and foreign affairs.

Although most Arab and Muslim Americans and their allies heavily condemn Trump’s campaign for repeatedly spewing xenophobic and Islamophobic rhetoric, some local Arabs remain unwavering in their support. Trump’s Arab supporters argue that the candidate’s election is the best chance to “make America great again.”

Nedal Tamer, who works in real estate, said he voted for Trump in the Michigan primary election because of his promise and proposals to strengthen the economy.

“If you love this country and you support capitalism and opportunities, you should vote for Trump,” Tamer said.

He added that Trump is a “great businessman”, as he built a business empire from only a million dollars. Along with a staunch stance on illegal immigration, he said the Republican candidate would be a president best capable of honoring the hard work of the middle class worker.

Trump shocked the nation in December when he called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S., “until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”

As for the anti-Arab and Muslim comments, Tamer said most Americans are misguided by what Trump really means.

“I think Islam hates us,” Trump told Anderson Cooper in an interview earlier this month.

Upon further research, Tamer said Trump explained to Cooper that radical Islam hates the Western world and his ban proposal concerned Muslims from specific regions in the Arab world.

Tamer added that Trump is funding his own campaign, allowing him to run free of corporate agendas.

Mariam Chehab, a contributor to The Arab American News, said her support for Trump does not make her less of an Arab, Muslim or American. In fact, Chehab said her support for the GOP front-runner is to stand behind a president that can “make America great again” and who will emphasize benefiting the American people by bringing back jobs from foreign countries, imposing trade sanctions and deporting illegal immigrants.

“I’m with strength, not weakness,” Chehab added in Arabic.

Chehab echoed Tamer’s understanding of Trump’s call for a ban on Muslims and said that the candidate suggested an intensified screening of some Arabs entering the country, not a ban on all Muslims.

She acknowledged an unfair rise in Islamophobia, but urged religious and other leaders to admit responsibility to combat the hateful stereotypes many Americans hold toward Muslims – a necessity she said they currently are ineffective at doing.

“Maybe this will wake us up to have a stronger, more unified voice,” Chehab said of the struggles Arab and Muslim Americans may face.

Fadia Sawaf, a Syrian American hairdresser in Farmington Hills, said she hopes to see a “tough” president take office who will be tenacious while fighting ISIS and will put the safety of Americans before all other issues.

Sawaf rejected the notion that a newly elected president could “fix” the Middle East and repair the damage inflicted on Syria and its people by ISIS, a group she said was allowed to expand due to Obama’s relaxed foreign policy.

She pointed to the recent terror attacks in Paris and Brussels and said she voted for a candidate who would aggressively ensure an attack does not occur in the United States.

“I wanna be safe here,” Sawaf said. “I wanna send my girl to school and know that she’s fine.”

Sawaf likened a president Trump to an alarm system, warning potential terrorists to stay away from domestic soil and heed deadly retaliation.

Sawaf ridiculed Trump’s ban on Muslims and said the candidate would likely not be able to impose such restrictions anyway.