Did you know that Islam isn’t a religion? That’s the gospel according to Florida Rep. Allen West, who made that remark during a town hall meeting last year. Instead, Allen posits that Islam is a “totalitarian theocratic political ideology” and “we need to have individuals that stand up and say that.” But that’s not the only outrageous remark West has made about the religion. Asked recently how he will get along with legislators such as Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, one of two Muslim members in the House, West suggested that the congressman represents “the antithesis of the principles upon which this country was established.”

West has evidently overlooked the fact that the United States was founded, in part, on the principle of religious freedom. Moreover, one of our nation’s founding fathers—Thomas Jefferson—respected Islam enough to include a Koran among his personal possessions. In fact, Rep. Ellison used this very Koran during his swearing-in ceremony in 2007.

Suggesting that Ellison’s at odds with what America stands for is not only inaccurate, but irresponsible. Let West know that there’s no place for anti-Islamic rhetoric and xenophobia in American public discourse.