New York, Dec 7 (EFE).– Republican president hopeful Donald Trump on Monday called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” until U.S. authorities can “figure out what is going on,” justifying the proposed Muslim entry ban by claiming that large segments of the world’s Muslim population bear “great hatred” towards Americans.

Trump’s campaign issued a communique on Monday afternoon calling for the ban on allowing Muslims to enter the country.

“Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody (that) the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine,” said the real estate magnate in the communique.

“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,” he added.

Trump’s message comes one day after President Barack Obama said that the jihadist Islamic State group “does not speak for Islam” and asked Americans not to confuse Islamist radicals with other Muslims.

“They are thugs and killers, part of a cult of death, and they account for a tiny fraction of more than a billion Muslims around the world – including millions of patriotic Muslim Americans who reject their hateful ideology,” said the president on Sunday in a national address from the Oval Office.

Trump issued his call for a Muslim entry ban – which comes on the heels of other controversial messages he has enunciated since he launched his presidential campaign last summer – after the massacre in San Bernardino, California, by a U.S.-born Muslim man and his Pakistani wife, who posted a message on Facebook pledging allegiance to the IS and then killed 14 people at an employees’ Christmas party.

According to the latest voter surveys, the billionaire businessman has a commanding lead in the race for the Republican nomination for the White House, 20 points ahead of his nearest GOP rival, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. EFE