Tulsa Leaders Gather At Islamic Center To Address Trump Travel Ban

City leaders responded to President Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban Tuesday. Many Tulsans showed strong support for those affected by the ban.

The city leaders that came together Tuesday were all different, but they all had messages of love and inclusion to share - not just for Muslims, but for all of Tulsa.

"Are we not all siblings? Are we not all children of the same father, are we not all children of the same mother," asked Rabbi Daniel Shalom Kaiman with B'nai Emunah.

Leaders from across the Tulsa community spoke from different beliefs and religious backgrounds, said they all stand behind the Muslim community.

Rebecca Marks-Jimerson with NAACP said, "We have come too far to turn around. We will not turn back, so we push forward with our community, the Tulsa community."

Sheryl Siddiqui with the Islamic Council of Oklahoma said the president's executive order isn't only affecting foreigners - it's affecting citizens of our own country.

"We have got to look at the consequences of it. And one of the consequences of it is that he has effectively terrorized one whole segment of the American population. Citizens, taxpayers, people who benefit their communities," Siddiqui said.

Tulsa Metropolitan Ministries Associate Director Aliye Shimi said, "His ban is discriminatory and reminds us of the time when our government limited immigration of Chinese, Japanese, Irish and other countries."

Siddiqui said the ban is just fueling the fire of extremists across the country.

"Three mosques have been burned in the last month. There are more hate crimes now than there ever were after 9/11. This is a very dangerous situation," she said.

Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe has said the ban was "reasonable" to protect national security.

Senator James Lankford said the Trump administration should evaluate the policy with "an eye on both security and compassion for refugees" trying to escape war.

The Islamic Society of Tulsa will offer a class called "Discover Islam" starting Wednesday. It starts at 7 p.m. and will continue every Wednesday in February.

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