Sanders rips Trump’s 'xenophobic,' ‘racist’ comments | TheHill

17.12.15

Sanders rips Trump’s 'xenophobic,' ‘racist’ comments | TheHill: “They want us to believe the average Muslim is a terrorist and they want us to stop Muslims from coming here. And unbelievably, there are some, in defiance of the Constitution, who are talking about shutting down mosques like the one we’re in here.”

Sanders said the heated rhetoric coming from some Republican presidential candidates has led to a spike in hate crimes directed at the Muslim community, noting that Rep. Andr� Carson (D-Ind.), one of two Muslims in Congress, has been the subject of a death threat.

“I can say that since Trump’s incendiary comments, we have seen in this country, shamefully, an increase in hate speech and attacks on the Muslim American community, including death threats against Rep. Andr� Carson,” Sanders said.

The Vermont senator was speaking at an event billed as an “interfaith roundtable” at The Nation’s Mosque in Northwest Washington D.C.

He was flanked by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) — the only other Muslim in Congress besides Carson — who called Trump a “bigot.”