WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama assured American Muslims on Monday that he stood firmly with them in rejecting the voices of division and religious intolerance.

The assurance, included in his Ramazan message, is a veiled reference to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s recent rhetoric that even the candidate acknowledges have annoyed Muslims.

“I stand firmly with Muslim American communities in rejection of the voices that seek to divide us or limit our religious freedoms or civil rights,” Mr Obama said. “I stand committed to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans no matter their religion or appearance.

While extending First Lady Michelle Obama’s and his ‘best wishes’ to Muslims around the world on the advent of Ramazan, Mr Obama added: “I stand in celebration of our common humanity and dedication to peace and justice for all.”

He also assured Muslim Americans that they were members of “one American family”.

On Sunday night, the Republican presidential candidate had repeated his anti-Muslim rhetoric, saying that he could not trust a Muslim judge as he might treat him unfairly because he wants to temporarily ban most foreign Muslims from entering the country.

Last week, Mr Trump had urged an American-born judge overseeing a fraud case against him to recuse himself because of his “Mexican heritage.”

Rejecting Mr Trump’s plan to stop Muslims from entering the United States, President Obama declared: “We will continue to welcome immigrants and refugees into our nation, including those who are Muslim.”

The latest comments of Mr Trump have also annoyed some Republicans who, like President Obama, believe that the billionaire politician was fanning division and hatred.

Senator Kelly Ayotte, a New Hampshire Republican, sent a strongly worded statement to The Washington Post, saying: “His comments are offensive and wrong and he should retract them.”

“I don’t care if he’s the nominee — Republicans should loudly condemn this racist, nonsensical rhetoric by Trump”, tweeted Republican strategist Brian Walsh.

In the rest of his message, President Obama noted that the month of Ramazan provided an opportunity to focus on reflection and spiritual growth, forgiveness, patience and resilience, compassion for those less fortunate, and unity across communities. “Each lesson is profound on its own, and taken together forms a harmonious whole,” he added.

The president noted that there were Muslims in the United States whose heritage could be traced back to the very beginning of this nation, as well as those who had only just arrived.

“And in this month of reflection, we cannot forget the millions of lives that have been displaced by conflict and struggle, across the world and in our own backyards”, he said.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2016