WASHINGTON: The Pentagon warned on Tuesday against fueling Islamic State's narrative of a US war with Islam, in a swipe at rhetoric by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that has triggered outrage around the world.
Trump, the Republican front-runner for the November 2016 presidential election, has proposed banning Muslims from entering the United States. On Tuesday, he compared his plan to the World War Two detainment of Japanese-Americans.
Asked about Trump's remarks, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Muslims serve in the US armed forces and that America's war strategy to combat Islamic State hinged on support from Muslim countries.
"Anything that bolsters ISIL's narrative and pits the United States against the Muslim faith is certainly not only contrary to our values but contrary to our national security," Cook told a news briefing, using an acronym for Islamic State.
Cook did not mention Trump by name and said he did not want to wade into domestic political matters. The Pentagon is helping local forces battle Islamic State and other extremists in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
US homeland security secretary Jeh Johnson said Trump's proposal could thwart US efforts to connect with the Muslim community, and secretary of State John Kerry said his ideas were not constructive.
The Pentagon counts thousands of service members who self-identify as Muslims.
Data released by the defense department showed that 3,817 active-duty members and 2,079 members of the National Guard and reserve identified their faith as "Islam."
The identifications are voluntary and there could be more members of the Muslim faith.
"There are, again, men and women in uniform today of the Muslim faith who are serving this country patriotically," Cook said. "Anything that tries to challenge American values on this would be certainly something of concern."
Within the active-duty US military, some 1,928 soldiers identify themselves as Muslim, along with 879 sailors, 424 Marines and 595 members of the Air Force.
Still, Muslims represent a fraction of the overall 1.3 million active-duty members of the US military and 826,106 members of the guard and reserve.
According to various estimates, about 3 million Muslims live in the United States, making up just less than 1 percent of the US population.
Trump defends his proposal
Defending his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States, Trump said his ideas were no worse than those of then-President Franklin D Roosevelt, who oversaw the internment of more than 110,000 people in US government camps after Japanese forces bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
"What I'm doing is no different than FDR," Trump said on ABC's "Good Morning America" program.
"We have no choice but to do this," he said. "We have people that want to blow up our buildings, our cities. We have to figure out what's going on."
Trump said on ABC's "World News Tonight" the ban would be "short term." He said the ban could be lifted "very quickly if our country could get its act together."
Trump also pressed his case in fractious appearances on MSNBC and CNN.
On Monday, he called for blocking Muslims, including would-be immigrants, students, tourists and other visitors, from entering the country following last week's California shooting spree by two Muslims who authorities said were radicalized.
It was the most dramatic response by a presidential candidate following the San Bernardino, California, rampage, even as other Republicans have called for a suspension of President Barack Obama's plan to allow in 10,000 refugees from Syria.
Homeland Security Secretary Johnson said Trump's proposal could thwart US efforts to connect with the Muslim community, and the Pentagon issued a similar warning. Secretary of State John Kerry said Trump's ideas were not constructive.
A Trump campaign spokeswoman, asked for comment on US officials' reactions, did not address their criticism.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Trump's comments disqualify him from being president and said other Republican candidates should disavow him "right now."
International outrage
The reaction from abroad was largely one of outrage. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Twitter, "Mr Trump, like others, is feeding hatred and misinformation."
A spokeswoman for British Prime Minister David Cameron called Trump's comments "divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong." A group started a petition to revoke Trump's honorary degree from Robert Gordon University in Scotland.
"We have never been as far removed from what we've just heard in the United States," Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion said. The United States' northern neighbor does not usually comment on elections in other countries.
A spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon rejected Trump's comments, and Muslims in Pakistan and Indonesia denounced him.
Two international refugee organizations rejected Trump's comments, saying US presidential campaign rhetoric threatens resettlement efforts.
Trump warned repeatedly that an attack on the scale of September 11, 2001, could happen again if officials do not act first. He said that he did not know how long a ban would remain in place and that Muslim Americans would be allowed into the country after overseas trips.
Trump told MSNBC that people would be asked about their religion at US borders and that the ban would extend to Muslim leaders of other nations. He said he would not support internment camps.
Some observers poked fun at Trump.
The Democratic mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, Rick Kriseman, said in a tongue-in-cheek tweet that he was barring Trump from visiting the city.
"I am hereby barring Donald Trump from entering St. Petersburg until we fully understand the dangerous threat posed by all Trumps
Trump, the Republican front-runner for the November 2016 presidential election, has proposed banning Muslims from entering the United States. On Tuesday, he compared his plan to the World War Two detainment of Japanese-Americans.
Asked about Trump's remarks, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Muslims serve in the US armed forces and that America's war strategy to combat Islamic State hinged on support from Muslim countries.
"Anything that bolsters ISIL's narrative and pits the United States against the Muslim faith is certainly not only contrary to our values but contrary to our national security," Cook told a news briefing, using an acronym for Islamic State.
Cook did not mention Trump by name and said he did not want to wade into domestic political matters. The Pentagon is helping local forces battle Islamic State and other extremists in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
US homeland security secretary Jeh Johnson said Trump's proposal could thwart US efforts to connect with the Muslim community, and secretary of State John Kerry said his ideas were not constructive.
The Pentagon counts thousands of service members who self-identify as Muslims.
Data released by the defense department showed that 3,817 active-duty members and 2,079 members of the National Guard and reserve identified their faith as "Islam."
The identifications are voluntary and there could be more members of the Muslim faith.
"There are, again, men and women in uniform today of the Muslim faith who are serving this country patriotically," Cook said. "Anything that tries to challenge American values on this would be certainly something of concern."
Within the active-duty US military, some 1,928 soldiers identify themselves as Muslim, along with 879 sailors, 424 Marines and 595 members of the Air Force.
Still, Muslims represent a fraction of the overall 1.3 million active-duty members of the US military and 826,106 members of the guard and reserve.
According to various estimates, about 3 million Muslims live in the United States, making up just less than 1 percent of the US population.
Trump defends his proposal
Defending his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States, Trump said his ideas were no worse than those of then-President Franklin D Roosevelt, who oversaw the internment of more than 110,000 people in US government camps after Japanese forces bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
"What I'm doing is no different than FDR," Trump said on ABC's "Good Morning America" program.
"We have no choice but to do this," he said. "We have people that want to blow up our buildings, our cities. We have to figure out what's going on."
Trump said on ABC's "World News Tonight" the ban would be "short term." He said the ban could be lifted "very quickly if our country could get its act together."
Trump also pressed his case in fractious appearances on MSNBC and CNN.
On Monday, he called for blocking Muslims, including would-be immigrants, students, tourists and other visitors, from entering the country following last week's California shooting spree by two Muslims who authorities said were radicalized.
It was the most dramatic response by a presidential candidate following the San Bernardino, California, rampage, even as other Republicans have called for a suspension of President Barack Obama's plan to allow in 10,000 refugees from Syria.
Homeland Security Secretary Johnson said Trump's proposal could thwart US efforts to connect with the Muslim community, and the Pentagon issued a similar warning. Secretary of State John Kerry said Trump's ideas were not constructive.
A Trump campaign spokeswoman, asked for comment on US officials' reactions, did not address their criticism.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Trump's comments disqualify him from being president and said other Republican candidates should disavow him "right now."
International outrage
The reaction from abroad was largely one of outrage. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Twitter, "Mr Trump, like others, is feeding hatred and misinformation."
A spokeswoman for British Prime Minister David Cameron called Trump's comments "divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong." A group started a petition to revoke Trump's honorary degree from Robert Gordon University in Scotland.
"We have never been as far removed from what we've just heard in the United States," Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion said. The United States' northern neighbor does not usually comment on elections in other countries.
A spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon rejected Trump's comments, and Muslims in Pakistan and Indonesia denounced him.
Two international refugee organizations rejected Trump's comments, saying US presidential campaign rhetoric threatens resettlement efforts.
Trump warned repeatedly that an attack on the scale of September 11, 2001, could happen again if officials do not act first. He said that he did not know how long a ban would remain in place and that Muslim Americans would be allowed into the country after overseas trips.
Trump told MSNBC that people would be asked about their religion at US borders and that the ban would extend to Muslim leaders of other nations. He said he would not support internment camps.
Some observers poked fun at Trump.
The Democratic mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, Rick Kriseman, said in a tongue-in-cheek tweet that he was barring Trump from visiting the city.
"I am hereby barring Donald Trump from entering St. Petersburg until we fully understand the dangerous threat posed by all Trumps
