On the eve of Ramadan, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared a heartwarming message to Muslims celebrating the holy month. In stark contrast, U.S. President Donald Trump used the opportunity to talk about terrorism.
While Trump's statements starts out well, it quickly fades off into a message about fighting extremism ... because Ramadan and terrorism are somehow connected? As The Independent points out, Trump mentions terrorism in nearly every sentence of the speech.
Many were quick to point out that George W. Bush didn't even mention terrorism in his Ramadan remarks two months after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
"This year, the holiday begins as the world mourns the innocent victims of barbaric terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom and Egypt, acts of depravity that are directly contrary to the spirit of Ramadan. Such acts only steel our resolve to defeat the terrorists and their perverted ideology," Trump said in his official statement.
North of the U.S. border, Trudeau shared a message reflecting on spirituality, community and Canada's unity.
"Let us take the opportunity to honor the many cultures, traditions, and beliefs that make Canada such a wonderful place to live. Muslim Canadians help make Canada the strong, diverse, and inclusive country it is today," Trudeau said in his official statement.
Trudeau also released a video statement, sharing his family's "best wishes" to the Muslim community
And of course, people loved it
Muslim moms especially
Trudeau has shown over and over that he and his country love and support their Muslim citizens. After a January attack perpetrated by a White supremacist terrorist against a Canadian Mosque, Trudeau said the violence was "committed against Canada, and against all Canadians."
Trump, on the other hand, ran a presidential campaign that routinely promoted Islamophobia and called for banning all Muslims from entering the U.S. Since he took office in January, Trump has attempted to ban immigrants and refugees from several Muslim majority countries. Although the executive order has been blocked by U.S. federal courts, the Trump administration has vowed to take the case to the Supreme Court.