The mother of a murdered British backpacker has accused Donald Trump of using “fake news” about her daughter’s death to further the “persecution of innocent people” by falsely claiming she was the victim of a terrorist attack.
Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, and Tom Jackson, 30, were killed in a knife attack at a hostel in Queensland, Australia, last August. Smail Ayad, 29, from France, has been charged with their murder.
On Monday the White House released a list of 78 attacks that it described as “executed or inspired by” Islamic State to support a claim by Trump that the media has been under-reporting terrorist atrocities.
The list, which was designed to bolster the case for Trump’s ban on travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries, included the killings of Ayliffe-Chung and Jackson.
In a defiant open letter to Trump, Rosie Ayliffe pointed out that police discounted the possibility that the attack was terrorism related despite reports that the attacker shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the stabbing.
“My daughter’s death will not be used to further this insane persecution of innocent people,” she wrote.
She told the Guardian that since the White House published the list, Ray Rohweder, a police chief in Queensland responsible for investigating case, had emailed her to repeat that there was “no terror link” in her daughter’s death.
“It’s the police who say it wasn’t a terror attack. That’s good enough for me and it should be good enough for Trump,” she said.
She added: “He [Trump] is trying to justify his actions in not allowing Muslims into the country from these seven countries. He’s trying to find examples of terror and this just isn’t one of them.
“It does look like fake news. It’s another example of some conniving unpleasant politicking. He [Trump] is using it in a quite pernicious way to justify unfair practices and discrimination against people I find personally we have a lot to learn from.”
The email from Rohweder said: “The crimes were not about race or religion, but individual criminal behaviour. I am so sorry that your terrible loss has become the subject of further comment.”
Ayliffe, from Cromford in Derbyshire, has repeatedly challenged what she says is the myth of a connection between her daughter’s death and Islamic fundamentalism. She suggested that Mia’s funeral should include a reading from the Qur’an to help discount the myth.
Ayliffe, who wrote The Rough Guide to Turkey travel book, said: “I’ve lived and worked in Muslim countries. And I was perfectly happy for my daughter to travel in a Muslim country. She wasn’t killed in a Muslim country. She was killed in a Christian country, by a French national. It was not a racist, or a terror attack.”
She added: “Trump hasn’t just got Mia’s death wrong. He’s got everything wrong regarding Islam and immigration. What he really needs to do is visit some of these countries and learn about their cultures.”
In her letter to Trump, she wrote: “The circumstances of Mia and Tom’s deaths prove that those with the strength of character to travel the world and learn about other cultures should be cherished as brave, resilient characters who have so much to offer if they are nurtured and give opportunities rather than defeated by adverse circumstances.”
She said of Trump’s travel ban: “This vilification of whole nation states and their people based on religion is a terrifying reminder of the horror that can ensue when we allow ourselves to be led by ignorant people into darkness and hatred.”
