Obama Ask Americans Not To Stigmatize Muslims Because Of The Recent Brussels Attack

 President Barack Obama has urged Americans not to ‘stigmatize’ Muslims in the wake of the Brussels terrorist attacks that left 34 dead – including two U.S. citizens.

He told Belgians ‘America has their back’ in the fight against terrorism and gave his prayers to those who perished in the bombings, but also attacked recent calls by GOP candidates to bring more police into American-Muslim neighborhoods.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, he said: ‘We have to reject any attempt to stigmatize Muslim-Americans, and their enormous contributions to our country and our way of life.’

GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump has called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.

Fellow Republican candidate Ted Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas, has called for heightened police scrutiny of neighborhoods with large Muslim populations.

During the addresses, Obama also expressed condolences to the families and renewed his vow to continue the campaign against the Islamic State, which took credit for the attacks.

‘Yesterday, we learned that at least two Americans were killed. We pray for their families and loved ones,’ he said.

‘At least 14 Americans were injured. And we pray for their full recovery, along with everyone else affected by these attacks.’

Obama said the U.S. has ramped up intelligence cooperation and that FBI agents are in Belgium assisting with the investigation into the bombings.

He also said the U.S. will review international efforts to combat Islamic State militants after the Brussels attacks during a nuclear summit with world leaders next week.

Obama returned on Friday from a trip to Latin America, where he took criticism for attending a baseball game in Havana, playing dominoes with a Cuban comic and dancing the tango in Argentina while America’s allies recovered from a terrorist attack in Belgium.