Roxbury Imam On Trump: 'He's Not Pharaoh, And He's Not Hitler'
ROXBURY (CBS) -- During his campaign, Donald Trump promised to deport millions of immigrants, build a wall on the Mexican border, and ban Muslims. But in his victory speech overnight, he called for unity.
So how do people who might have worried about a Trump presidency feel now?
The head of a local mosque says he is not a Trump fan, but that he's a realist.
"Who would want this man to be the leader of the free world? Not me," said Abdullah Faaruuq, the Imam of the Mosque for Praising Allah in Roxbury, adding, "He's not Pharaoh, and he's not Hitler."
Faaruuq is American-born, but he certainly remembers when candidate Trump proposed banning Muslims from entering this country as a safeguard against terrorism.
"I think that he was pandering to the type of people who voted him in," he said.
And after Trump got in last night, Faaruuq also saw him vow to be a president for everyone.
"God bless America," said Faaruuq.
More: President-Elect Donald Trump Vows To Unify Deeply Divided Nation
As Muslims wonder what they'll get from Trump, Faaruuq actually had some praise for how quickly he took to politics.
"He did a good job, got a lot of free press for his outlandish statements and made himself visible to so many people," said Faaruuq.
But even with a Republican House of Representatives and Senate, Faaruuq points out that Trump will not have the same kind of authoritarian control he's enjoyed in business--and he has doubts about any walls being built.
"I don't think he can really turn it into real policy," he said.
And instead of worry, Faaruuq recommends that all Americans focus on things closer to home.
"Let's buckle down and get busy trying to affect changes where we are," he said. "Because most politics and most things that happen in this country are local, not national."
Faaruuq believes Trump now faces the same challenge every president does--delivering the things he promised to the voters who elected him.
And if he doesn't, he'll learn what some former presidents already know: people aren't very patient.
