Jihadists celebrate Trump's travel ban as tipping point to radicalize more Muslims

BY NICOLE HENSLEY

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

January 30, 2017

Islamic extremists cheered President Trump’s controversial travel ban for all the wrong reasons.

A scattering of Jihadist social media messages claim Trump’s executive order barring travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries only proves that an ideological war against Islam is brewing in the United States, according to the Washington Post.

At least one message dispatched through the Telegram app, suggested that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi should endorse the White House mandate as a “blessed ban.”

Trump waited until Sunday to defend his creation — a day after protesters flocked to airports to jeer his rushed ban and it affects. More than 100 people were detained at international airports, including JFK Airport in New York, and some taken into custody deported before a federal ruling could prevent their return flights.

Trump continued to characterize his ban as a boycott to countries linked to terrorism — not religion. His remarks contradict a telling interview with Fox News where former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani disclosed that the then presumptive Republican nominee asked him to craft a “Muslim ban” during the presidential election. Trump slammed such a characterization.

His actions, words in the White House reportedly fueled hopes among Islamic extremists that the executive order would inspire more Muslims to radicalize.

On Sunday, Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham issued a joint statement decrying Trump’s order as a “self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism.”

The two warned that the travel restrictions “may do more to help terrorist recruitment than improve our security.”

In additional messages examined by the Post, some users shared a belief that American-born al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaket's 2010 prediction was right, according to the Washington Post.

“The West will eventually turn against its Muslim citizens,” he said from a hideout in Yemen. The following year, al-Awlaket was killed in a U.S. drone strike.