Congressman: Americans ‘Should Be Disturbed’ By Comments On Muslims

Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., accompanied by fellow House Democrats, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 16, 2016, to discuss opposition to the President Barack Obama's trade... Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., accompanied by fellow House Democrats, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 16, 2016, to discuss opposition to the President Barack Obama's trade deal. Despite Obama's direct appeal, House Democrats voted overwhelmingly on Friday to reject a jobs retraining program because it was legislatively linked to fast track, which they want to kill. Both parties were asking Tuesday whether they could persuade enough colleagues to switch their votes and reverse Friday's outcome, but few were optimistic. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke) MORE LESS
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Rep. Keith Ellison, (D-MN) the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress, said Sunday that “every American should be disturbed” by the comments made by Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ben Carson on Muslims.

Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, said Sunday that he didn’t think a Muslim should be President. Trump also defended Sunday his decision not to correct a town hall audience member who said President Obama was a Muslim and asked when the nation “could get rid of them.”

Ellison responded to the comments with a statement released on Twitter.

“It’s unimaginable that the leading GOP presidential candidates are resorting to fear mongering to benefit their campaigns, and every American should be disturbed that these national figures are engaging in and tolerating blatant acts of religious bigotry,” according to the statement.

Here’s Ellison’s tweet with the full statement:

h/t: Time

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  1. Avatar for imkmu3 imkmu3 says:

    Just Donald Trump and Ben Carson? Perhaps they are the worst, but the dog whistling has been coming from most of them this cycle–and it’s been shrill.

  2. And I have to tell you, I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, "Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies."

    And I know you’re not. I’m not accusing you of being an enemy, but that’s the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way.

    The Congressman was being asked by Glenn fucking Beck to prove his loyalty

  3. Classic case of projection by the theocrat Beck. He worships the criminal gang leader, serial pedophile rapist, murderer, thief, and theocratic dictator Bring’em Young, whose successors in power continue to deny and obfuscate their history. Clearly participants in other faith traditions must also be of highly suspect loyalty.

  4. Avatar for pbw pbw says:

    Sadly, it is imaginable that the Republican front-runners would say such a thing.

  5. With so much blatant religious bigotry going on, especially in the run up to the next presidential election, I truly fear for the US should there be enough crazy people that would hand the office over to a Republican. I would truly wonder just how long it will be before they disregard the Constitution blatantly and require religious tests to hold office and put people of the wrong religion under governmental scrutiny (even more than they already do, in the case of many states).

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