As with many political conversations in 2016, Donald Trump was a looming presence at a panel discussion on religion and the upcoming election on Thursday night.
For one thing, there was the Republican presidential nominee’s early promise to ban Muslims from entering the United States if elected. The local Muslim leader Masood Akhtar — one of the seven scholars and religious leaders who gathered at the High Noon Saloon to discuss faith and politics for a Cap Times Talk — said that Trump’s comments put the Muslim community in a difficult position.