Attendees sit next to a poster as speakers from different faiths speak at an interfaith rally titled "Love is Stronger than Hate" at the Islamic Community Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States June 1, 2015. The rally was held in response to an earlier anti-Muslim rally at the same location. PHOTO: REUTERS
Kupperman, who has been appointed as a deputy national security advisor served on the board of directors for the Center for Security Policy (CSP) between 2001 and 2010.
CSP peddles conspiracy theories including claims that Muslims have infiltrated the US government and plan on instituting Sharia law in the country. CSP is designated an anti-Muslim hate group by hate monitor Southern Poverty Law Center (SLPC).
Trump said in a press release, Kupperman "brings to the role more than four decades of national security policy and programme experience".
The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called on the Trump administration to revoke the appointment.
CAIR's director of government affairs department, Robert McCaw says Kupperman's appointment "should absolutely be rescinded" and that he "has no place in the US government".
Trump has a history of taking explicitly anti-Muslim actions including executive orders seeking to ban travellers from several Muslim majority countries.
According to Muslim rights groups, anti-Muslim hate crimes have gone up since Trump came into power. Muslim Advocates group in October 2018 released a report documenting 80 instances of political candidates using "clear anti-Muslim" rhetoric in 2017 and 2018.
This article originally appeared on Al Jazeera.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ