Muslims Fear Trump Victory Will Give 'Green Light For Bigotry'

A woman wearing a Muslim headscarf walks past people holding Donald Trump signs before the start of the annual Muslim Day Parade in New YorkReuters

Muslims in the US and Britain have voiced their fears after the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States.

Harun Khan, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said there is "justifiable concern" about the election.

"It is hugely worrying that a man who has openly called for discrimination against Muslims and other minorities has become the leader of a superpower nation. We hope the bombast and rhetoric we have seen from Mr Trump in the last few months gives way to a more reconciliatory approach. The President-elect must demonstrate that his election is not a green light for bigotry for the rest of the world."

US Muslim YouTube star and rapper tweeted the fearful response of his five-year-old daughter:

Al Jazeera presenter and Ed Miliband co-biographer Mehdi Hasan drew comparisons between a surge of racist attacks in Britain after the Brexit vote.

Tell Mama, which monitors anti-Muslim hate crime, told Huffington Post: "Today in America, the politics of hate have trumped love." Tell Mama described a climate in Britain  "where extremism, terrorism and the press, have fuelled anti-Muslim sentiment". Trump's victory had made the fight "much, much harder" because of the extent that what happens in the US influences life in the UK.

The charity tweeted: 

Moussa ElBayoumi, of the Kansas branch of the Council on American Islamic Relationscalled on President-elect Trump to respect the United States constitution and the values it is built on.

If the new president failed to live up to his duties to be President for everyone, irrespective of race of religion,  Elbayoumi pledged that the council will "stand ready to defend the civil liberties of all American citizens, including Muslim Americans."

However, the leader of the Republican Muslim Coalition, Saba Ahmed, told Al Jazeera that she is excited by the result. "The Republican Muslim Coalition is looking forward to working with president Trump."