Sadiq Khan invites ‘ignorant’ Donald Trump to London to meet his family to educate him about Islam

Pippa Crerar17 May 2016

Sadiq Khan invited Donald Trump to London to meet his family today in order to educate the “ignorant” Republican presidential hopeful on Islam.

The Mayor, who has been embroiled in a row with the billionaire businessman, said he would be “willing” to show him the very best of the capital.

Mr Khan also admitted he agreed with Mr Trump that Muslims had to do their bit by helping tackle extremism in their own communities.

City Hall aides, however, were quick to play down suggestions that Mr Khan was holding out an olive branch.

Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, the Mayor repeated his view that the Republican’s stance on Islam was ignorant and dangerous.

It comes after Number 10 made clear that David Cameron, who has also had differences with Mr Trump, would work with whoever wins the presidential election in order to maintain the special relationship.

It is not yet clear whether Mr Trump will follow the lead of Mitt Romney, who visited London as Republican candidate ahead of the 2012 elections, by coming to the UK.

However Mr Khan said: “I invite Donald Trump to come to London. Meet my wife and my daughters. Meet my friends and my neighbours. Meet Londoners who are British and who are Muslim.

“We don’t just tolerate each other, we respect, we celebrate and we embrace. I invite Donald Trump to come to the greatest city in the world to understand we’ve shown the rest of the world that, forgive the pun, hope trumps fear.

“If I can educate the presumptive Republican presidential nominee about Islam then I’m happy to do so.”

Mr Khan said, however, that he did agree with Mr Trump’s view that Muslims had to do more to root out extremism in their own communities. “I’ve said we have a role to play, not because we’re more responsible, but because we’re more effective,” he said.

He would boost neighbourhood policing so Londoners had the confidence to report any concerns about radicalisation in their communities.

Mr Trump yesterday said it was “rude” of Mr Khan to accuse him of having an “ignorant view of Islam” and challenged the Mayor to take an intelligence test.

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