Hillary Clinton. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton delivered a scathing indictment of Republican counterpart Donald Trump during a CNN town-hall event Monday night.

A Muslim-American woman and Air Force veteran asked Clinton during the Iowa event how she would make the US safe for Muslim children, considering what she called a rise of Islamophobia.

Clinton used the question as a vehicle to lambaste the rhetoric of the Republican presidential candidates, including Trump, calling it "dangerous" to the US.

"One of the most distressing aspects of this campaign has been the language of Republican candidates, particularly their front-runner that insults, demeans, denigrates different people," Clinton said. "He has cast a wide net — he started with Mexicans. Now it's Muslims."

"But I found it particularly harmful the way that he has talked about Muslims — American Muslims, and Muslims around the world," she continued. "And I have called him out continuously on that. It's not only shameful and contrary to our values to say that people of a certain religion should not come to this country, or to claim that there are no real people of the Muslim faith that share our values, and to have the kind of dismissive and insulting approach. It's not only shameful and offensive, which it is. I think it's dangerous."

Trump, who took heat from both parties last year when he announced a plan to temporarily bar Muslim immigrants and tourists from entering the US. Through back-and-forth public remarks, Clinton and Trump have repeatedly tangled about his rhetoric.

Trump demanded an apology from the former secretary of state when she claimed during a debate that the terrorist group ISIS was "going to people showing videos of Donald Trump" to attract more recruits. Clinton refused.

For his part, Trump has repeatedly defended his proposal. He said last month that he had Muslim friends who were very pleased with his plan.

“I have many friends that are Muslims, and I will tell you they are so happy that I did this, because they know they have a problem. There is a problem,” Trump said in December.