Islamist extremists say they hope Trump win will sow division in the U.S.

Melania Trump and Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Yuri Gripas/AFP/Getty Images)

Several radical Islamist extremists say they are thrilled with Donald Trump's victory, and hope it ushers in an era of chaos for the United States.

Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, a senior al Qaeda member, used Twitter to share his thoughts on the win, The Guardian reports. "Trump reveals the real mentality of the Americans and their racism toward Muslims and Arabs and everything," he said. "He only reveals what his predecessors have kept hidden." A Syrian radical named Abdullah al-Muhaisny, believed by the U.S. to have a connection to al Qaeda, tweeted that Trump's win is an "important step toward the victory of the Sunnis. We have long tried to explain that the fight is not against terrorism, but against the Sunnis, and the mujahideen are just the frontline. The American strategy will not change much, what has changed is that the war is open and not secret, and that is a good thing."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.