Dem Rep Ellison: Cruz, Trump, and Rubio Trying To Keep Muslims Out of US Fabric, We Can’t ‘Be Like ISIS’

Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN), who is supporting Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), argued that Republican presidential candidates Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, along with Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) are trying to “do the opposite thing that Europeans are trying to figure out how they can do, which is to make sure that everybody can be part of this American fabric” and that “We cannot be like ISIS, and then be better than ISIS” on Thursday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

Ellison said, “Not too long ago, the chief of police of Oslo, Norway, came to the Twin Cities, and he wanted to know something, how well — how is it that you’re integrating people so well. You know, here in Minneapolis, we have a city council member who’s Muslim, who’s — who comes from a Somali background. We have a school board member. We have two people who are Somali, contending for state legislature, and folks are opening up businesses and doing great things every single day. Well, you know, what Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump, and Marco Rubio, and all of them have done at one point or another is do the — do the opposite thing that Europeans are trying to figure out how they can do, which is to make sure that everybody can be part of this American fabric.”

He added, “I think what we really need to do, is just really understand, that we’re very fortunate here in the United States to have a First Amendment, which says that there’s no government religion, and everybody is free to practice as they wish. This is the opposite of what ISIS says. ISIS is persecuting Christians, and Yazidis, and people like that. We cannot be like ISIS, and then be better than ISIS.”

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