Hawzah News Agency (London, England) - England’s top religious authority, the archbishop of Canterbury, called on U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday to remove his retweets of three inflammatory anti-Muslim videos posted by a British far-right group, urging him to show he rejects racism and religious hatred.
Stating that he found it "deeply disturbing that the President of the United States has chosen to amplify the voice of far-right extremists," Justin Welby said that he, along with faith groups and others, expected Trump "to make clear his opposition to racism and hatred in all forms," and not just un-retweet the videos.
"Britain First seeks to divide communities and intimidate minorities, especially our Muslim friends and neighbors. God calls us as Christians to love our neighbor and seek the flourishing of all in our communities, societies and nations," he said in a statement he shared on Twitter and Facebook.
The Church of England leader also retweeted a statement by the Christian Muslim Forum, an organization that supports public dialogue between Christians and Muslims, condemning the violence shown in the videos.
"We are extremely concerned to see anti-Muslim propaganda given such publicity and implied credence," the organization said in statement, calling on Prime Minister Theresa May to denounce all extremist behavior.
The archbishop's call comes not long after he told ITV that he doesn't understand why so many Christians in the U.S. support Trump.
Welby had told ITV's "Peston on Sunday" program that he "really genuinely" can't comprehend why fundamentalists have provided such a strong base for Trump.
However Welby did say he would be willing to attend a state dinner in Trump's honor if the president came to Britain on an official visit.
He also noted that he's met with worse people than the president of the United States.
Trump has accepted an invitation for a state visit to Britain, but no date has been set. Though he said he'd meet Trump, Welby also said, "It'd be unlikely I'd do more than shake hands with him."
Meanwhile, outraged British opposition politicians have demanded that the government revoke Trump's invitation to the U.K. after he retweeted the anti-Muslim videos.