Tulsi Gabbard, 2020 Presidential candidate and Congresswoman, today, released an op-ed entitled Religious Bigotry is Un-American, published by Religion News Service.

“For too long we have seen religion being used to foment hatred, bigotry and illicit fear and suspicion in people, by those who are trying to pit us against each other for their own political gain,” Rep. Gabbard wrote on the topic in an email to supporters.

Gabbard writes:

“Our country was established on the basis of freedom of religion, and the Constitution states there would never be any religious test for any public office. It is a freedom enshrined in our Constitution, and that every member of Congress takes an oath to protect — a freedom that many heroes have given their lives to defend. Nothing is more important to our democracy than this freedom.

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“Those who are trying to foment anti-Hindu sentiment expose the dark underbelly of religious bigotry in politics, and must be called out. To advocate voting for or against someone based on their religion, race, or gender is simply un-American.”

Read full op-ed here.

Rep. Gabbard said that “as we stand for peace abroad, we must stand for peace and freedom here at home” and recognize our interconnectedness.

“Whether it is Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Christian, atheist—whatever path people have chosen for their lives, it is important that everyone of us stand up, call out and condemn those who are seeking to incite bigotry based on religion and not allow them to try to use that to divide us… as Americans, that is not who we are,” she wrote.

Although she already announced her candidacy for US President, her campaign says that Gabbard will officially kick off her presidential campaign at an Aloha Rally on Oʻahu on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019.