CAIRO – A galaxy of high profile Minnesotan leaders in politics, education, health care and business have posted a full-page advertisement calling on residents to reject anti-Muslim sentiments as “un-Minnesotan.”

“Though we may be a soft-spoken bunch,” the ad reads, “we know better than to be silent or still in the face of bigotry shown to Muslims. Our Minnesotans,” Star Tribune reported.

The ad, which ran in Monday’s Star Tribune, comes as presidential candidates have been using anti-Muslim rhetoric, fueling anti-Muslim sentiments.

The ad noted Minnesotans’ values of “sleeve-worn courage, goodness and kindness” and went on to say that “every intolerant post, every prejudiced comment aimed at Muslims needs a response. Your response.”

Using the hashtag #UnMinnesotan for Twitter sharing purposes, the ad is the brainstorm of Democratic US Rep. Keith Ellison and John Taft, CEO of RBC Wealth Management, who describes himself as a “card-carrying Republican.”

“We do have this bipartisan history,” Ellison said.

“We may not agree on things like taxes and spending, but we thought we’d stand up and say this isn’t all right.”

Taft said the ad “isn’t a political ad in any way. … It was a collaboration between a corporate Republican and a political Democrat that would start everyone off on a bipartisan note.”

Democrat officials, including Gov. Mark Dayton, US Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, and US Reps. Betty McCollum, Rick Nolan, Tim Walz and Ellison were among the several dozen names listed on the ad.

Taft said that late last year he became increasingly troubled by the “level and the tenor of the Muslim rhetoric in the public arena. My concern wasn’t just that it was inappropriate and mean-spirited, but that it was becoming dangerous and giving people license to behave badly.”

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he and Ellison had discussed how to best “push back on Islamophobia” and called the ad “a good first step.”

“Any effort to get the conversation started would be a good opportunity for all of us to have an open discussion at this time and push back this type of rhetoric,” said Hussein, whose advocacy group was not involved in the ad’s publication.

“We are asking everyone … to be on alert that [anti-Muslim actions] are actually happening.”

Muslims make up 1% of America’s 322 million population, according to Pew Research center.

Anti-Muslim sentiments have reached an all-time high after the rise of the so-called Islamic State, formerly known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Moreover, the Republican presidential candidates, such as Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson, have added to increasing anti-Muslim sentiments.

Trump’s views on immigration have sparked controversy nationwide, especially his proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the US.