Trump's Muslim ban 'not about national security', says former FBI agent and counterterrorism expert Ali Soufan.

Last week, President Donald Trump implemented a travel ban from seven Muslim-majority countries coming into the United States.

Will this so-called Muslim ban backfire and simply embolden groups like ISIL, or will it help to protect the US?

Former FBI agent and counterterrorism expert Ali Soufan says Trump's policy decisions are a "godsend" to ISIL.

"ISIS members and ISIS leaders, at least in their propaganda, have been calling President Trump and his ban and his recent policies a godsend," says Soufan, who is also the CEO of intelligence think-tank The Soufan Group. "We cannot win this war by dealing with our friends the same way we deal with our enemies."

Asked if this was in the interests of national security, Soufan said it would "hurt", not help.

"It's very difficult, Mehdi, to say it's about security," says Soufan, who also serves as a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council. "It's very difficult to say there is not an anti-Muslim sentiment in these policies to cater to a specific base that they probably have in Washington."

"We have to protect our country, but we have to do it in sync with our principles, in sync with our values."

In this week's Headliner, former FBI agent Ali Soufan discusses the Muslim ban and its potential fallout.

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Source: Al Jazeera News