London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Monday offered ideas for combatting homegrown terror and extremism in the wake of a bombing that rocked New York City over the weekend. Khan’s proposals didn’t involve self-congratulations or vague promises to “do something extremely tough,” and were a seeming rebuke to GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, who Khan suggested has only fanned the flames of hatred with his anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Khan, London’s first Muslim mayor and the first Muslim to lead a major European capital, is in the middle of a North American tour that recently included a meeting with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Khan said that although the nature of terrorism is changing in both the U.S. and Europe, we “shouldn’t allow ourselves to be under siege and change the way we lead our lives.”
“The reality is, I’m afraid, in the current climate, it’s not just a question of people outside of our countries, or outside of our cities, wishing to do harm to our way of life,” he said on CBS’ “This Morning.” “I’m afraid the bad news is people born and raised in London, people born and raised in America, people born and raised in Europe want to destroy our way of life.”
New York City and New Jersey are on high alert following two explosions on Saturday, including one that injured 29 people in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan on Saturday night. A second device was found near that blast site, and authorities are currently trying to determine if they are connected to pipe bombs recovered in New Jersey following an explosion along the route of a 5K charity race. A number of potential suspects are now in custody, including Ahmad Khan Rahami, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Afghan descent who has been identified as a primary suspect in the Chelsea bombing.
Trump has come under fire for describing the explosion as a bombing during a rally Saturday night, hours before authorities released details on the incident. On Monday, he appeared to pat himself on the back, telling Fox News he “should be a newscaster” because he “called it before the news.” Beyond his proposed ban on Muslim immigrants, Trump has offered few details about how he’d tackle the self-described Islamic State abroad or the domestic terror they’re encouraging.
In Khan’s interview Monday, he said Islamophobic rhetoric like Trump’s does nothing to address the problem of radicalization at home.
“The best antidote to that is to show them it is possible to be somebody with Western-level values and be mainstream Muslim,” he said. “But also to teach our youngsters resilience. So if you’re a young Brit or a young American and somebody comes along to try to bully you ... or brainwash you, a charismatic preacher of hate, and he says, ‘Look, the West hates you, there’s a Jewish conspiracy,’ you can say, ‘What are you talking about? I’m a successful doctor. What are you talking about? My best friend’s a Jew, what are you talking about? I’m proud to be an American.’”
Khan also called out Trump for saying Khan would be exempted from the proposed Muslim ban, while millions of other Muslims would still be barred from entering the U.S.
“When I was elected he said he’d make an exception for me,” said Khan. “Now according to my mum, I’m exceptional. But I’m not exceptional.”
Then Khan gave another hint that he wants Democrat Hillary Clinton to win in November.
“My hope is the best candidate wins,” he said. “I’m sure she will.”
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.