US Dem. lawmakers want Muslims at Obama speech

WASHINGTON

Two U.S. Democratic lawmakers have reiterated a call to colleagues to take Muslim Americans to President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address Tuesday.

Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, and the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, were prompted to reissue the call after a hijab wearing Muslim woman was removed for a campaign rally held this weekend by Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.

Rose Hamid, 56, had stood up in silent protest during Trump's speech, wearing a T-shirt saying "Salam (Hi) I came in peace".

While she was being escorted out, a Trump supporter shouted, "You have a bomb, you have a bomb," Hamid told the CNN network.

Ellison and Schultz first issued their demand to Congress after the billionaire real-estate developer urged the U.S. to close its borders to Muslim entry.

"Predictably, the vile comments castigating the entire Muslim population of the world, including American Muslims, have translated into a shameful and dangerous rise of attacks on individuals and vandalism of religious institutions," Ellison and Schultz wrote in a letter last week, according to CNN.

"This rhetoric and these actions are simply un-American. They undermine our values and weaken our ability to be a force for good around the world."

The call appears to have attracted the attention of lawmakers on both sides of the political divide, including House Speaker, Paul Ryan, who has indicated that he will take several Muslim guests to the speech, according to the media outlet.

"Twenty members of Congress have already pledged to bring a Muslim American to the address," CNN reported, citing a aide to Schultz.

Democratic Sen. Al Franken announced that he, too, would take two guests, including Abdirahman Kahin, a restaurant owner and leading member of the Muslim community of the twin cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, according to CNN.

Another democratic lawmaker, Rep. Pete Aguilar said he will take "San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan." That California city was rocked last month when married Muslim couple Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik opened fire at a holiday party killing 14 people and injuring more than 20 others.