Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who is running for president, on Wednesday said that President Trump and Vice President Pence “try to hide the truth” that terrorist attacks are “inspired by extremist Saudi ideology” from their Christian supporters.
Gabbard said that the terrorist attacks on Christians and Christian churches in Sri Lanka and elsewhere “are inspired by extremist Saudi ideology that the Saudis spend billions propagating worldwide.”
{mosads}“The Saudis have been spending billions of dollars spreading this most intolerant form of Islam, sometimes known as Wahhabi Salafism, through this mosque and schools around the world,” Gabbard said in a video on Twitter.
Gabbard called it an ideology that “preaches hatred and bias” toward Christian, Buddhists, Hindus and atheists, as well as Muslims who practice other forms of Islam.
“There are hundreds of terrorist organizations who are inspired by and followers of this ideology yet President Trump and Pence, who pose as defenders of Christians and Christianity, have embraced the Saudis — the purveyors of this anti-Christian jihad,” Gabbard continued.
Gabbard called for followers of all faiths to demand that Trump and Pence give up their “unholy alliance with Saudi Arabia.”
Gabbard’s comments come after hundreds were killed on Easter Sunday following a series of explosions in Sri Lanka.
The bombings appeared to be coordinated and targeted Christian worshipers attending Easter service as well as guests at luxury hotels, according to The New York Times.
The attacks left at least 290 people dead, including several Americans, and hundreds more injured.
On Tuesday, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Trump on Sunday offered condolences to Sri Lanka, writing on Twitter that “we stand ready to help.”
Pence condemned the attacks, saying “this atrocity is an attack on Christianity & religious freedom everywhere. No one should ever be in fear in a house of worship.”