Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison joined four Iowa faith leaders Tuesday in calling for religious unity rather than embracing inflammatory political rhetoric that is dividing Americans during the 2016 presidential campaign season.
Ellison, a Democrat from Minneapolis who is the first Muslim elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, expressed concern that the nation is experiencing "an ugly episode" due to candidates who are advocating that Muslims be barred from entering the country and making other inflammatory statements.
"It simply is not alright to say someone's race or religion disqualifies them from this community," said Ellison, who was in Iowa to campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders but joined Christian, Jewish and Islamic religious leaders for an interfaith show of solidarity.
"We're making a moral appeal to unity," said Ellison, who noted that issues like taxes, public spending and the environment may be up for debate but "who belongs" in this country is not because "everyone does" belong, he added.