Muslim woman Asra Nomani explains why she voted for Donald Trump (original) (raw)

A Muslim woman has publicly outlined why she chose to vote for Donald Trump at the US Election, saying it was incredibly his strong stance against Islamic extremism that won her over.

Asra Nomani from Fairfax County, Virginia, says she isn't a 'white supremacist', but is in fact a 'woman of colour' who silently supported the Republican candidate.

In an extraordinary opinion article published in the Washington Post, Ms Nomani told how she found herself leaning towards supporting the divisive billionaire, but was forced to keep her beliefs quiet in the face of outrage.

The single-mother said that eight years ago she was an Obama supporter, but this year snuck into her local polling booth before it closed and cast her vote for Trump.

Muslim woman Asra Nomani (pictured) has publicly outlined why she chose to vote for Donald Trump at the US Election despite his anti-Muslim stance

Ms Nomani wrote that as a single-mother, she had seen 'Obamacare' fail her and many others in her community.

'[Everyday] I see rural America and ordinary Americans, like me, still struggling to make ends meet, after eight years of the Obama administration.'

She told how after Clinton conceded the election, friends of hers had posted on social media that they were 'ashamed' of those who voted for Trump.

Ms Nomani said that she supported same-sex marriage and didn't share his views on immigrants, and obviously Muslims.

As a result many would've assumed she fell into the anti-Trump camp, but that wasn't the case.

Despite Trump's 'rhetoric', one of the biggest things that led her to vote Republican on Tuesday was his strong stance on Islamic extremism.

Ms Nomani said while she didn't agree with Trump's views on same-sex marriage, deporting immigrants or building a wall to Mexico, his strong stance on Islamic extremism won her over

Despite his divisive policies and behaviour, Donald Trump was elected to be the next president of the United States on Tuesday

She said after what she described as soft stances taken by Obama and Clinton, the promises made by Trump, despite being 'indelicate', were necessary.

'As a liberal Muslim who has experienced, first-hand, Islamic extremism in this world, I have been opposed to the decision by President Barack Obama... to tap dance around the "Islam" in Islamic State,' she wrote.

'Yes, I want equal pay. No, I reject Trump's "locker room" banter, the idea of a "wall" between the United States and Mexico and a plan to "ban" Muslims.

'We have to stand up with moral courage against not just hate against Muslims, but hate by Muslims, so that everyone can live with sukhun, or peace of mind.'

Since her story was posted online Ms Nomani has received an influx of support from fellow Trump supporters who she says were also forced to stay silent.

'I am getting direct messages, emails and Facebook messages from decent folks living their vote in secret,' she wrote on Twitter on Friday.

However despite the positive messages from many, Ms Nomani also said she'd been bombarded by hate from anti-Trump.

Ms Nomani told how after struggling for years under President Obama she hoped Trump would turn around the lives of those in rural America