WASHINGTON: Pakistani Americans reacted with cautious optimism to Donald Trump’s stunning victory in the US Presidential elections, expressing hope that the Republican President-elect will adopt a more conciliatory approach towards minorities, especially Muslims who he had berated during his election campaign.
His Democratic rival and former First Lady, Hillary Clinton, had a same message for the 70-year-old real-estate businessman that he represents all Americans, so as President Barack Obama who sought to bury the bitterness of campaign, assuring his full support to Trump and hoped that he will work to end the divide among Americans.
Trump angered Muslims and Latinos with his election rhetoric from the very onset of his election campaign when he suggested ban on Muslims entering the United States and vowed to throw out more than 11 million illegal mostly Latino immigrants. He also angered neighboring Mexico by saying that he would build a wall along the common border to prevent illegal entry of Mexicans.
“The results is as surprising for me as it is for the most Americans, both Clinton as well as Trump’s supporters,” said Ana Shan, a housewife, who lives in Fairfax county of State of Virginia, who was referring to all pre-election polls which had put Clinton ahead of Trump.
She said that given what he said about Muslims during the campaign, every Muslim American is ought to be apprehensive. But, she expressed the hope that Trump’s approach towards Muslims would not be the same as his election slogans were.
Another Pakistani American doctor, Amir Rehman, said all Pakistani Americans and Muslims Americans are patriotic citizens and will render every sacrifice for their adopted country which has provided them safety and security.
He was of the opinion that candidates often make remarks in the heat of campaign but do not intend to actually follow them. “I hope that Mr. Trump will be good for us and for the entire country,” he added.
“The coming of Trump may prove to be a wake-up call to the Muslim community to effectively organize themselves and unify by speaking up,” said Mowahid Hussain Shah, a lawyer and an author.
Trump is also seen to bring changes to the US foreign policy, Annie Kameron, a psychologist at a local school said and hoped that his areas of attention will include the long-standing enmity between Pakistan and India over the issue of Kashmir. “He can help resolve this issue and save the world from a grave threat of nuclear war,” she added.
Source: APP
