Trump talk troubling for his brand in Middle East

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s call for temporarily banning Muslims’ entry to the United States could doom the real estate tycoon’s business interests in a number of Muslim countries.

Golf legend Tiger Woods designs Trump World Golf Club in Dubai built by luxury real estate developer DAMAC Properties will creates a distinct and memorable golf course.

Pieces of letters that appear to spell out “Trump” litter the ground after apparently being removed from a wall at the site of Damac’s Akoya development in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Friday, Dec. 11, 2015. Regarding the Middle East as a critical avenue for growth, the Trump Organization signed numerous deals in recent years to put the Trump brand on upscale golf courses and residences in Dubai, hotel properties in Turkey, and home furnishings, accessories and décor sold in stores across the region.

However, Damac has declined to discuss whether the company was reconsidering its venture with Trump.

There is evidence the group has been targeting the site since at least Wednesday, when it posted a YouTube video warning against Trump’s plan to halt the immigration of Muslims into the U.S.

According to Sultan al-Qassemi, a Dubai-based social commentator, Damac is uncomfortable with Trump’s comments but they are bound to an expensive contract that would cost a lot to cancel.

The change comes days after Trump’s inflammatory comments about banning Muslims from entering the United States from other countries. “I reject him”, said al-Habtoor, who previously showed his support for Trump’s presidential bid.

“Muslim consumers in the Middle East have absolutely no say in next year’s USA presidential election – but they can still vote with their wallets”, wrote Ed Attwood in Arabian Business magazine. Trump, whose mother was a Scot, owns two golf courses in Scotland – one outside Aberdeen and Trump Turnberry on the southwest coast.

This is not the first time Trump has made provocative discriminatory remarks.

Answering questions in the House of Commons, Osborne said “the best way to confront the views of someone like Donald Trump is to engage in a robust democratic argument with him about why he is profoundly wrong”.

He also claimed public opinion on the issue was starting to go his way, telling a crowd largely made up of police and prison officers: “We have people talking, I’ll tell you that – and they’re talking very positively”.