‘I’m a Muslim Too,’ hundreds of New Yorkers rally against Muslim ban by US President Donald Trump

Hundreds of New Yorkers have staged a rally to voice solidarity with Muslims, in the wake of President Donald Trump’s entry ban against people from some Muslim nations.

The protesters marched on Times Square on Sunday while shouting “I’m a Muslim Too,” denouncing Trump’s executive order last month that banned travel from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.  

Organized by music producer and businessman Russell Simmons, the event also featured an speech by Mayor Bill de Blasio and Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon.

“Here’s the message I want to give as mayor of this city, to everyone who’s here. Regardless of your faith or your background or where you were born, this is your city,” de Blasio said.

People take part in a rally called I'm a Muslim Too, in Times Square, New York City, February 19, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

“And to everybody, this is your country too. This is your country too. And think about the origins of this country – a country founded by people fleeing religious persecution. A country founded to respect all faiths and all beliefs. This is who we are as Americans, and this must be protected,” he added.

Sarandon also took the stage, calling on all Americans to speak up against Trump, arguing that silence makes them “complicit.”

Simmons, meanwhile, said that Trump was going to “leave a legacy of hate in America,” although the country was moving towards “greater love.”

‘Not My President’

Also on Sunday, thousands of demonstrators across the US marked President’s Day by staging rallies against Trump’s presidency.

Marking the federal holiday, which is held on the third Monday of February, protesters descended upon the streets of at least 25 cities to protest the new Republican president’s dividing policies on immigration.

More protests were scheduled in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Chicago, Kansas City, Denver, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City and Atlanta on Monday.

Roughly 100 anti-Trump protesters demonstrate peacefully in Market Square in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 19, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The Muslim ban, which was introduced on January 28, has stirred outrage both inside the US and abroad.

Traditional US allies like the UK and Germany have also criticized the ban, asking the Trump administration to reconsider it.

Millions of People across the world have held demonstrations to condemn the ban, which also barred Syrian refugees and halted all refugee admission to the US for 120 days.

The ban was put on hold by a federal judge earlier this month. Trump has pledged to introduce a revised version of the measure after losing an appeal bid to reinstate it.