US Muslim Leaders Call on Trump to Reject Anti-Islam Administration Candidates

President-elect Donald Trump should revise his decision to appoint candidates in the new administration who hold adverse views of Muslims, 300 Muslim community leaders and imams in the United States said in an open letter.

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.

Moreover, Trump said he was open to the idea of requiring Muslims in the United States to register in a database as precaution in order to lessen the threat of terrorism.

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.