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 Without directly naming Trump, Jolie, who has served as a
special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees, said in a New York Times opinion piece that
discriminating based on religion was "playing with fire."
The Oscar-winning actress added that as the mother of six
children, "all born in foreign lands and ... proud American
citizens," she believed in the need for the nation's safety, but
said decisions should be "based on facts, not fear."
"I also want to know that refugee children who qualify for
asylum will always have a chance to plead their case to a
compassionate America. And that we can manage our security
without writing off citizens of entire countries — even babies —
as unsafe to visit our country by virtue of geography or
religion," she wrote.
Trump's executive order bans citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya,
Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the United States
for 90 days. Refugee admissions were suspended for 120 days
while Syrian refugees were barred indefinitely.
The move has not only caused consternation for the nations
involved but among other Muslim-majority countries, allies such
as Germany and Britain and career State Department officials.
Hollywood's celebrities have also been using their spotlight to
slam the president's ban.
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Jolie, 41, has received an honorary Oscar for her humanitarian work.
Last year, she visited refugee camps in Lebanon and Greece, meeting
with families fleeing war in the Middle East.
The actress warned that by "implying Muslims are less worthy of
protection, we fuel extremism abroad."
Jolie's op-ed is the first comment she has made publicly since
filing for divorce in September from her husband, actor Brad Pitt.
The former couple share three adopted children from Cambodia,
Vietnam and Ethiopia, and three biological children, who were born
in France and Namibia.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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