The Chair for the Windsor Islamic Council is "disappointed" and "concerned" with a new U.S. travel policy focused on seven Muslim-majority countries.
President Donald Trump signed off on an executive order which bans travellers from the seven countries for 90-days and also suspends the refugee program for 120 days.
Those countries included in the ban are Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.
The aftermath of the executive order saw hundreds of people pulled off planes and detained at American airports this past weekend.
Dr. Maher El-Masri feels the move by Trump to single out Muslim-countries does nothing to fight terrorism, in fact, only makes the problem worse.
"We want to make sure we expose the narrative of the extremist without playing into their hands and I'm afraid such policies will very much compromise our position and our work," says El-Masri.
Critics call Trump's ban racist.
On the question, El-Masri suggests it's hard to argue against the claim.
"Every country is entitled to its own policies, but it's also important at the same time that such policies don't come across as racist," says El-Masri. "These policies will embolden the bigots and the haters, and that will make the situation worse."
In a news release, the Windsor Islamic Council says the new immigration policy in the U.S. and rise of anti-Islamic sentiment is of "great concern" and adds the council will look to keep its community updated on the situation.