WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The leaders urged Trump to reconsider and reject such anti-Islam candidates.
"It is deeply concerning that you [Trump] have announced the appointment of individuals to your upcoming administration with a well-documented history of outright bigotry directed at Muslims," the letter stated on Monday.
During 2016 presidential race, Trump called Islamic extremism a major threat and called for a ban on Muslim immigrants until their identities and intentions are positively established.
The letter noted that in 2015, the Federal Bureau of Investigation registered a 67 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes.
Following this year's presidential election, the letter continued, Muslim organizations in the United States received more reports of anti-Islam crimes than any other period of time since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
