Muhammad Ali defends Islam following Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric

New polls suggest 4 out of 10 Republicans support Trump’s proposal to bar Muslims from the United States, though almost 6 in 10 Americans overall oppose it.

Prime Minister David Cameron took the unusual step on Tuesday of commenting about a USA presidential candidate, saying Trump’s call for a ban was “divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong”. “True Muslims know or should know that it goes against our religion to try and force Islam on anybody”.

It was the first major national poll since the furor erupted over Mr Trump’s call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US.

Mr Trump tweeted that he is postponing the trip, which had become problematic for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Several questions were posed to the survey participants, but the ones pertaining to Trump were asked of slightly fewer than half – 495 people – on December 8-9.

Muhammad Ali, one of the most famous athletes in history and a convert to Islam, returned to the public spotlight Wednesday night to say that political leaders have a responsibility to foster understanding about his religion.

Trump told Fox News there were many reasons he chose to hold off on a trip, among them that he didn’t want to put Netanyahu in a bind. Less than a week ago, a bevy of presidential candidates stood before a group of Jewish conservatives in Washington, asking for their support and declaring their solidarity with the Jewish state.

But Trump continues to lead opinion polls in the Republican nominating race.

Mr Trump’s planned visit had already stirred opposition in Israel, with a range of MPs opposing it because of his comments about Muslims.

Ali’s statement did not identify Trump by name but was directed at “presidential candidates proposing to ban Muslim immigration to the US”. “But I still think he’s a leader”. He also said, “I’m a negotiator, like you folks”.

► Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg offered words of support for Muslims who fear retaliation for the recent attacks by extremists.

According to the poll, 91 percent of USA adults were familiar with Trump, but 59 percent had an unfavorable view of him – the most negative of any candidate in either party. I mean, did you ever hear of a Republican leading by 20 and 22 and 25 points, and all of a sudden I’m going to say “oh, I’m going to return as an independent”?