Elhamy Ibrahim, 62, is a Muslim who does not like very many other Muslims these days, but loves Donald Trump.
The Egyptian-born businessman who came to the United States in 1981 and became a citizen two decades later said in an interview on Friday that he was alarmed by changes in Egypt, where, in his view, high unemployment and poverty have driven many young Egyptians to religious extremism.
He strongly backs Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US until authorities can determine if they pose a threat, even though such a ban could bring hassles for him if he traveled abroad.
That is one reason why Ibrahim, who says he does not attend a mosque regularly, approached the real estate mogul after a rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and called out “I’m a Muslim and I love you!”
NBC News published a video of the exchange, which took place the evening before Saturday’s Republican primary in South Carolina. Ibrahim proudly posted the video to his Facebook page.
Trump has stirred outrage not just in the US but around the world for comments that his critics say are anti-Muslim. But Trump’s fans, including Ibrahim, say Trump’s rhetoric, rather than being insensitive and exclusionary, addresses their fears of the violence they see occurring halfway across the globe.
“If he stopped me coming into the US, I’d say ‘fine’,” Ibrahim said. “If he said he wanted a loyalty test, I’d be the first to sign it.”
