Bernie Sanders warns of demagogues, blasts Trump during mosque visit

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has warned of demagogues and divisions during a visit to a mosque in Washington DC.

His remarks on Wednesday were an apparent reference to recent anti-Muslim rhetoric by Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump on banning Muslims from the US.

Speaking at a gathering at the Masjid Muhammad mosque which was attended by Christians, Muslims, and Jews, Sanders said there’s a need to unite and stand up to Trump’s hatred and Islamophobia.

“Do we come together? Or do we allow demagogues to divide us up?” Sanders said. “That is the issue of the moment.”

“They want us to believe that the average Muslim is a terrorist,” he said. “Unbelievably, in defiance of the basic tenants of our Constitution, there are some who are talking about shutting down mosques like the ones we are in.”

Sanders warned of religious intolerance and criticized Trump’s recent remarks as a reminder of centuries of bigotry and discrimination that have sometimes had unspeakable results.

The call by Trump to ban Muslims from entering the United States only intensified anti-Muslim sentiments and Islamophobia across the country.

Mosques around the US are carefully increasing security amid growing concerns of hate crimes against American Muslims following the mass shootings in California and Paris.

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