O’Malley: Trump’s Muslim database leads to ‘fascism’

Former Gov. Martin O’Malley (D-Md.) says that Donald Trump’s idea for a national database of Muslim Americans raises the specter of fascism.

“[It is] shameful,” he said Tuesday on “MSNBC Live with Jose-Diaz Balart.” “I think we’ve seen this before in history, [and] it doesn’t end well.

“Look, Donald Trump’s call for a registration of Muslim Americans is outrageous,” O’Malley, a Democratic presidential candidate, continued.

{mosads}“It is the sort of fear-based politics and division that sometimes precedes fascism. And equally as bad, [it] could plunge our democracy into [the] condition of being a security state.”

O’Malley then criticized Trump, who is the GOP presidential front-runner, and other Republican contenders for opposing President Obama’s Syrian refugee resettlement program.

“I believe we’re playing to fears when we try to slam the door in the face of Syrian refugees,” he said.

“We already have probably the most extensive vetting process for Syrian refugees of any country on the planet,” O’Malley continued. “There are 13 steps that they have to go through.

O’Malley said the rest of the world would be “watching whether or not we have the courage to actually step up and accept our part in this humanitarian relief in terms of Syrian refugees.”

“Have we become a more cowering nation than France that we can’t carry on this fight against ISIL and also alleviate the humanitarian crisis? I don’t think so. We need to do both,” he said using an acronym referring to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

O’Malley also said the real estate mogul’s rhetoric is alienating Muslim allies in the fight against ISIS.

“Our Muslim American neighbors are more needed now that ever,” he said. “It is not only to lead this fight against ISIL in terms of communications in the public airwaves, but also here at home when it comes to protecting us and keeping us safe against those that would be radicalized and might be turned against us here in the homeland.”

Trump has been floating a national registry of American Muslims since the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris. ISIS claimed responsibility for the carnage there, which killed 130 people and wounded more than 300 others.

Some of his Republican rivals have also criticized Trump’s proposal, but the outspoken billionaire says tracking Muslims may be necessary to prevent violence.

Reports have also emerged that one of the Paris attackers first entered Europe using a Syrian passport.

Trump has called Syrian refugees a potential “Trojan horse” and warned against admitting them to the U.S.

The House last week voted to block Obama’s plans to resettle at least 10,000 displaced Syrians in the U.S. next year.