Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner for the upcoming presidential elections, has sparked a tremendous amount of conversations, perspectives, and headlines— all thanks to comments many consider bigoted.

Trump has alienated and verbally attacked almost every marginalized group within the United States, from Hispanics, to African Americans, and even American Muslims.

Among the racist rhetoric that Trump has spewed is his desire for “the total and complete shut down of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what’s going on.” This statement was applauded by his supporters and then encouraged on social media, despite backlash.

Muslim students at Pace think otherwise.

“The idea that Trump might become president frightens me. I feel like he’s just going to ruin America, and get rid of all immigrants, but he’s an immigrant. Where do you think his family came from?” said sophomore and Vice President of the Muslim Student Association Razan Alkhazaleh.

“I am shocked that he is allowed to do and say all of what he’s been saying,” an anonymous student said. “Unlike European nations, Americans are not affected as much by refugee migration so their phobia comes from just following the media and those who like Donald Trump exploit their position to instill this wrong idea about Muslims.”

Both students initially thought Trump’s campaign was a joke. Neither of them think what he’s doing is funny, and shared that his supporters frighten them as well.

Last February, three Muslim American students — Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her younger sister Razan Abu-Salha — were murdered in their Chapel Hill home by their neighbor.

Barakat’s older sister, Dr. Suzanne Barakat, recently spoke out on AJ+ and shared her sentiments one year later. She challenged Trump’s statements and shared that his words can and will influence more hate crimes against Muslims.

“When Trump says comments to the effect that Muslims are worthy of being killed with bullets dipped in pigs’ blood, then what you’re essentially doing is saying that an entire group of people are worthy of violence,” Barakat said. “He’s not realizing that those same words that are getting him points in the campaign are also leading to potentially lethal outcomes, like they have in the case of my family.”

Back at Pace, students couldn’t help but compare Trump’s ideals and possible actions to those of Hitler’s.

“If banning Muslims from entering the U.S., continuing surveillance of mosques, and creating a database for all Muslims already living in the United States isn’t repeating history as Hitler pronounced over the Jews, then I don’t know what is,” senior Mariam Parwez said.

These students also believe that Islamophobia is at a rise. Some have even experienced it firsthand, such as Razan Alkhazaleh, who shared that she stopped at a red light and lowered her window for a man that looked like he was asking for directions, only to be met with “f*** your people.”

“I was too shocked to even react, my brain like shut down. I think my problem is that I assume everyone is like me and would never do that to someone,” she said.