Sen. Bernie Sanders received an adoring welcome at the Islamic Society of North America annual convention in Houston over the weekend, as he stressed the need to forge progressive coalitions and build solidarity between communities in order to defeat President Donald Trump in the election, Religion News Service reported on Sunday.
Sanders, along with former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, became the first presidential candidates to ever address the nation’s largest gathering of Muslims.
“I am here today because I believe in the concept of solidarity, and the need for all of us, no matter where we come from or what our background is, to stand together in the struggle for justice and human rights,” Sanders told the 6,000-strong crowd.
Sanders, who repeatedly mentioned his father, a Jewish refugee who fled anti-Semitism and poverty in Poland, discussed health care and hate crimes, mass shootings and the Middle East situation. The crowd gave him a standing ovation with thunderous applause and chants of “Bernie.”
He also talked about the thousands of non-Muslims who protested at airports the Trump administration’s travel ban and how Americans voted Muslims into Congress, emphasizing that “What that tells me is that the American people understand that the country is at our best when we stand together, regardless of our religious or spiritual beliefs.”
The Sanders campaign is run by Faiz Shakir, the first Muslim to manage a major presidential campaign.
Organizers of the event, who said they invited all presidential candidates, praised Sanders and Castro for attending, according to The Texas Tribune.
However, they were critical about the rest of the field, saying that candidates must engage American Muslims directly on the issues that matter most to the community.
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