American Muslims react to GOP hate-fest

The fifth Republican presidential debate held on Tuesday evening in Las Vegas was a competition of fear mongering and hate speech - even before the main event kicked off.

The undercard debate, in which competed the four candidates who have fared worst in the polls, set the tone for the evening's outrageous statements.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum declared that Islam was not "a normal religion" and should not be afforded the same constitutional protections as other religions.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said he supported the mass surveillance of mosques. "If Islam is as wonderful and peaceful as its adherents say, shouldn't they be begging us to all come in and listen to these peaceful sermons?"

The main debate with the leading nine candidates was no better, with Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Florida Senator Marco Rubio saying they understood why Trump called for his ban on Muslims entering the US.

The candidates then proceeded to talk about how tough they could be on terrorism, with Trump defending his position of killing the families of terrorists and Cruz suggesting that he would carpet bomb areas held by the Islamic State group.

Even Ben Carson, who is a retired neurosurgeon and supposedly took an oath to protect life, engaged in the sickening discussion of who can kill more people in order to keep "America safe".

When asked by radio host Hugh Hewit if he was OK with the "deaths of thousands of innocent children and civilians", Carson responded with a gut-wrenching "You got it. You got it."


American Muslims react


"It gave me anxiety. I literally couldn't handle it," said American Muslim Khadija Chudnoff.

"The question to Ben Carson about killing innocent kids made my stomach turn. And his answer was worse than the question," she added.

Other American Muslims took to social media to express their views on the debate that left millions across the country feeling under personal attack.

Many non-Muslim Americans were very supportive of their fellow Muslim compatriots, including comedian Chris Rock.

There was also Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who is vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, who could not pass up the opportunity to politely call out his Republican opponents on their bigotry.