Talking Points: Trump's Silence On Mosque Bombing
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – President Donald Trump is continuing to face criticism for failing to denounce last weekend's firebombing of a Twin Cities mosque.
It's been eight days since someone tossed an improvised explosive device into the Dar Al-Farooq mosque in Bloomington during morning prayers.
So far, the president has not issued comment or a tweet about the incident.
Top Trump aide Sebastian Gorka said last week the president would "wait and see" if the attack on the mosque was a fake attack before commenting.
The president's critics pounced on the comment, pointing out that the president often comments or Tweets about events immediately after they happen.
Meanwhile, Muslim leaders accuse the president of being especially quick to comment when suspects are Muslim.
Imam Asad Zaman, who's been a spokesperson for Dar Al-Farooq in the wake of the bombing, was a guest on WCCO Sunday Morning.
"I am still offended and insulted by that comment," he said, referring to Gorka. "That is absolutely unacceptable. The president has at his disposal FBI agents who have been in that building who can testify that is not a fake attack."
The Council on American Islamic relations (CAIR) says the U.S. is seeing a surge in anti-Muslim hate crimes, a surge that began before Trump's election.
CAIR says a study shows that there's been a more than 500 percent increase in hate crimes against Muslims from 2014 to 2016 in the U.S.