In a powerful Facebook post, Somali-born athlete Mo Farah described his sadness at US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend visas to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries.
Farah, a British national who lives and trains in America, described the move as “deeply troubling” in an online statement that has so far been liked more than 636,000 times. He also expressed his anxiety that he might not be able to return to Portland, Oregon where he has spent the last five years with his wife and their four children.
The four times Olympic medalist said that Trump’s policy “comes from a place of ignorance and prejudice,” adding that “my story is an example of what can happen when you follow policies of compassion and understanding, not hate and isolation.”
The 5,000 and 10,000 meter runner came to the UK from Somalia when he was eight-years-old.
The post has received a considerable response in the UK, with nearly a quarter-of-a-million shares overnight. Many commenters expressed their support for his words:
Farah was not the only high-profile British passport holder to be caught up in the confusion surrounding the executive order on immigration signed by Trump on Friday. An Iraqi-born MP, Nadhim Zahawi, on Sunday expressed his distress that he would not be able to visit his children who are studying in the United States.
I'm a British citizen & so proud to have been welcomed to this country. Sad to hear ill be banned from the USA based on my country of birth
— Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) January 28, 2017
However, their fears were allayed when it was announced early on Monday that British passport-holders will be exempt from the ban, as long as they do not travel from any of the targeted countries.
The suspension of visas applies to visitors from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen, even if they have dual nationality or had previously been granted indefinite right to remain.
A spokeswoman for Farah said in a statement that: "Mo is relieved that he will be able to return to his family once his current training camp concludes.”
“However, as he said in his earlier statement, he still fundamentally disagrees with this incredibly divisive and discriminatory policy."
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