Indonesia, Malaysia condemn Trump’s travel ban against Muslims

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After US President Donald Trump's radical executive order to ban Muslims from certain countries from entering the US and extend vetting against others, outraged voices could be heard from the two major Muslim countries in Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on January 29 that his country "deeply regrets" Trump's plans for "extreme vetting" of Muslim people under the new immigration order. While Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population, is not among the seven nations whose citizens face restrictions, Marsudi said: "We have deep regrets about the policy."

Indonesia has close relations with the US and many of its citizens think highly of former US President Barack Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Jakarta. According to Marsudi, there were "hundreds of thousands" of Indonesians living and working in the US.

Most of Indonesia's 220 million Muslims practise a moderate form of Islam, although the country has some vocal Islamist groups and has suffered in the past from attacks by militants.

In Malaysia, there was no official comment by government representatives on the Trump immigration order, but opposition parties urged the administration to denounce it.

Members of the Democratic Action Party, Malaysia's largest opposition party, said the "disturbing action" by Trump may make it harder for citizens of other predominantly Muslim countries such as Malaysia, to travel to, study in and work in the US.

They said the order must be strongly condemned through official channels as it was an "inhumane action" especially for those Syrian refugees who have already been granted approval to travel to and seek asylum in the US.

Malaysia's People's Justice Party called on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to protest against Trump's order.

"Malaysia as a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which comprises 57 nations including those affected by President Trump's executive order, must engage the current US administration through all available diplomatic channels in order to resolve all arising issues," said the party's president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

She added that the blanket ban was "very regrettable" and "a reflection of the level of trust between the US and the Muslim world."


Source: Indonesia, Malaysia condemn Trump's travel ban against Muslims

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