US Democratic Presidential hopeful vows to end Islamophobia

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Sunday 01 Nov 2015 - 13:24 Makkah mean time-19-1-1437 (Image from internet) Washington, (IINA) - A leading US Muslim advocacy group welcomed Democratic Presidential hopeful and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ pledge to end Islamophobia and all other forms of racism during a town hall hosted at George Mason University recently, OnIslam reported. “What should have been an unremarkable statement against racism was made noteworthy because only a handful of presidential candidates have gone on the record to denounce Islamophobia,” said CAIR Government Affairs Manager Robert McCaw in a statement. “Bernie Sanders’s willingness to vow to stand together in eradicating Islamophobia and all forms of racism is inspirational.” The praised encounter occurred when Sanders invited Muslim George Mason University student Remaz Abdelgader to join him on stage during a campaign stop and responded to her remarks about Republican Presidential Candidate Dr. Ben Carson’s position that a Muslim should not be president. Abdelgader expressed to Sanders the personal impact that Islamophobia in the presidential election was having on her. “Being an American is such a strong part of my identity, but I want to create a change in this society,” Abdelgader said. “If we stand for anything we have to stand together and end all forms of racism in this country,” Sanders said. “I will lead that effort as president.” This is not the first time Sanders has challenged Islamophobia in the election. After the detention of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohammed for bringing a homemade clock to school, Sanders had tweeted, "we must stand strong against anti-Muslim bigotry.” McCaw challenged Republican front-runners Donald Trump and Ben Carson to similarly denounce Islamophobia. Last week, CAIR condemned Donald Trump’s gesture showing apparent willingness to close down mosques in the country. SM/IINA