Quartz took a closer look at Trump’s sources—not that they would justify his proposed ban, even if accurate (they’re not):

The Center for Security Policy is run by Frank Gaffney, a former Reagan administration official and known anti-Islamic activist and conspiracy theorist. In a 2010 column for conservative website Breitbart.com, Gaffney wrote that a new logo for the Missile Defense Agency “appears ominously to reflect a morphing of the Islamic crescent and star with the Obama campaign logo” He has also repeatedly claimed that Huma Abedin, a long-time Hillary  Clinton aide, is a Muslim Brotherhood operative.

The center’s survey on Muslims “should not be taken seriously,” Georgetown University researchers wrote on the Huffington Post when it was released in July. “It comes from an organization with a history of producing dubious claims and ‘studies’ about the threat of shariah, and was administered using an unreliable methodology. Its proponents seize upon its shoddy findings, exaggerating and misrepresenting them to American audiences, and falsely claim that the survey data represents the views of Muslims nationwide.”

As for the Pew Research poll cited by Trump, it appears to refer to a 2011 study which found 21% of American Muslims say there is a great deal (6%) or a fair amount (15%) of support for extremism in the Muslim American community. Most importantly, Pew never found “a great hatred toward Americans by large segments of the Muslim population.” The survey, conducted before the rise of ISIL, suggests that only 5% of American Muslims supported Al Qaeda. By contrast, most Muslims rated their life in America as favorable, with 79% saying their communities were “excellent” to live in.

A spokesperson for Trump confirmed his statement to the New York Times: “Asked what prompted it, Mr. Trump said, ‘death,'” the spokesperson said.

The Times noted that Trump’s most provocative statements tend to take place immediately after he falls behind in the polls. Earlier today, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas overtook Trump in Iowa, according to a new Monmouth University poll.

 

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