Donald Trump had barely spent a month in the White House when his administration began translating his divisive campaign rhetoric into policy. Targeting people for their faith, his administration issued executive orders banning the entry of citizens from half a dozen Muslim majority countries. At a stroke of a pen, by curbing travel from countries which suffer war and strife and shutting down the United States refugee resettlement program, the US imperiled its storied tradition of welcoming refugees from across the world. Mercifully, there are those who refuse to capitulate to fearmongering politicians. Both of Trump’s executive orders were suspended by courts, against the backdrop of large demonstrations across the US. In the Netherlands, more recently, Geert Wilders, another supporter of banning Muslims, was denied victory at the general elections, though worryingly t...

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