Sadiq Khan made history last week when he became the first Muslim mayor of London, and, by extension, the first Muslim mayor of any Western capital. Now it looks like he's making history again, this time as possibly the only Muslim to be exempt from Donald Trump's proposed Muslim ban.
However he doesn't seem to be too thrilled about the news, taking the chance on Tuesday to criticize Trump's stance on Islam, calling it "ignorant" while warning it has the potential to make the U.S. and UK "less safe."
"Donald Trump's ignorant view of Islam could make both our countries less safe - it risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of the extremists," Khan said.
"This isn't just about me - it's about my friends, my family and everyone who comes from a background similar to mine, anywhere in the world. Donald Trump and those around him think that western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam - London has proved him wrong."
The comments came in response to statements made by Trump after he learned of Khan's win over Conservative Party candidate Zac Goldsmith in last week's mayoral election. He expressed happiness over the win, and when asked how Trump's proposed ban would affect Khan, Trump replied: "There will always be exceptions."
"I was happy to see that," he said, referring to Khan's win. "I think it's a very good thing, and I hope he does a very good job because frankly that would be very, very good."
The root of Khan's grievance with Trump is the Muslim ban that he proposed in December following the mass shooting at San Bernardino, Calif., that left 14 dead. The two perpetrators, Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, a married couple, were allegedly members of ISIS.
Khan stated he would like to go to the United States to meet with American mayors to swap ideas, but he will aim to do so in January in case Trump wins the presidential race.
This isn't the first time Khan has addressed the "ignorant" rhetoric that Trump has utilized throughout his campaign. During the mayoral race, Goldsmith and Prime Minister David Cameron tried to link Khan with extremists.
"They (the Conservatives) used fear and innuendo to try to turn different ethnic and religious groups against each other - something straight out of the Donald Trump playbook," Khan said.
