Bahrain: Bahraini businessmen have hit out at calls by American presidential candidate Donald Trump to ban all Muslims entering the US.

The republican frontrunner made the controversial statement at a campaign rally in South Carolina on Monday, during which he said there was “great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim population”.

His speech follows the San Bernardino shooting in California in which 14 people were killed by a Muslim couple, believed to support the Islamic State.

He said that “until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life.”

However, Bahraini businessman Hamed Fakhro said such statements could affect business ties between Arabic countries and the US.

“It is unfortunate that these word came from someone who is supposed to be a diplomat and a politician,” he told the GDN.

“His statements make him sound like a new Hitler and I hope we won’t have another one.

“I studied at the American University in Washington, DC during the 90s and back then America was an open society, but it has totally changed now.

“If I want to trade in the US, for example, it would be very hard to find a partner.

“Settling there is also becoming harder too because people feel unsafe to send their children to schools.”

Another Bahraini businessman, Abdulnabi Alshoala, described the comments as an attempt to gain political capital out of the deadly attack.

“Such reckless statements have always been made by politicians seeking attention, but I’m sure they won’t be able to do any such thing,” he said.

“I think he (Donald Trump) doesn’t deserve all this attention – he simply can’t stand against the entire Muslim world. It is a huge population.

“Of course, business between Arabs and Americans could only be affected if this became reality, but I highly doubt it will happen.”

Meanwhile, American Chamber of Commerce in Bahrain president Qays Al Zu’bi said political candidates would say anything.

“This is an internal US matter and I think that candidates say anything during the campaign year,” he said.

“What happens in reality is different, as 90 per cent of what candidates say is never applied.”