US university president urges students to ‘end Muslims’

The president of a university in the US state of Virginia has urged college students there to be armed and kill Muslims following the recent mass shooting in California.

“I’ve always thought if more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walk in and kill,” said Jerry Falwell, Jr., president of the Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

“I just wanted to take this opportunity to encourage all of you to get your permit. We offer a free course,” Falwell told a large formal assembly at the school on Friday. “Let’s teach them a lesson if they ever show up here.”

The offensive comments came after Muslim communities in the US condemned Wednesday’s massacre in San Bernardino, California, urging the public not to blame Islam or Muslims.

Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 27, stormed a holiday party in San Bernardino, killing at least 14 people and injuring 21 in the deadliest shooting in the US in three years.

The remarks from Falwell, a son of a late evangelist and Liberty University founder, drew a reaction from Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR).

"It's part of an overall toxic anti-Muslim atmosphere that we're seeing, particularly in the past few weeks with Paris and San Bernardino," Hooper said. "Anti-Muslim bigotry was still on the fringes after 9/11. But it's moving toward the mainstream thanks to Donald Trump, Ben Carson and these type of comments."

“If some of those people in that community center had what I have in my back pocket right now,” then that incident would not have happened, Falwell said, apparently referring to a concealed weapon in his pocket.

Falwell also encouraged students to carry firearms and criticized US President Barack Obama for stating that the key to solving the US gun violence is tighter gun control laws.

The university president defended his views later on claiming that he was referring “to ‘those Muslims’ that carried out attacks in Paris and California.”

“If I had to say what I said again, I’d say exactly the same thing,” he added.

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe on Saturday strongly condemned Falwell’s “repugnant comments.”

“My administration is committed to making Virginia an open and welcoming Commonwealth, while also ensuring the safety of all of our citizens,” McAuliffe said in a statement.

“Mr. Falwell’s rash and repugnant comments detract from both of those crucial goals,” he said. “Those of us in leadership positions, whether in government or education, must take care to remember the tremendous harm that can result from reckless words.”

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