Debbie Wasserman Schultz says bringing a Muslim-American to the State of the Union is a way to rebut anti-Muslim rhetoric. (AP) | AP Photo Senior Dems: Bring a Muslim-American to the State of the Union

Two senior Democratic lawmakers are asking their colleagues to bring a Muslim-American guest to the State of the Union in protest of Donald Trump's recent proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S.

In a letter sent to House Democrats and Republicans on Tuesday, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, and Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, said lawmakers should bring Muslim-Americans to the Jan. 12 speech as a way to rebut anti-Muslim rhetoric.


“Over the past few weeks we have seen a shocking and alarming rise in hateful rhetoric against one particular minority population in our nation,” the pair wrote in an email obtained by POLITICO. “Leading political figures have made offensive and outrageous suggestions that we should create a national registry of all people of one particular faith and that we should prevent any person of that faith from even entering this great country.”

Donald Trump, the Republican front runner for the presidential nomination, said earlier this month that Muslims should be barred from entering the U.S. because of security concerns. The comments have been widely criticized by politicians across the political spectrum.

But Ellison and Wasserman Schultz said that bringing a Muslim-American guest would show “our compatriots and the world that we will not be intimidated by fear into discrimination. There could be no stronger expression of support for our American values than sending this message of solidarity through the extension of this invitation.”