While the Republican presidential candidates have responded to the tragic terrorist attacks in Brussels with the most despicable, xenophobic remarks, Bernie Sanders took a different approach and instead defended the Muslim community.The most notable reactions from the GOP following the bombings in Brussels came from none other than candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Trump   like most conservatives   criticized President Barack Obama and said that if this attack had happened while he was in office, he would  close up our borders.  The front runner, who previously said he would like to ban all Muslims from coming into America, also said that he would use waterboarding  as a solution and  try to expand the laws to go beyond waterboarding. Cruz s reaction was just as anti-Muslim and offensive   the Texas Senator issued a statement entitled  We Can No Longer Surrender to the Enemy Through Political Correctness,  which encouraged local police forces to  patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized. Sanders, on the other hand, offered some refreshing perspective. The Vermont senator denounced the GOP s xenophobia completely opposed Trump and Cruz s tactics, and said that he  strongly  disagreed with the idea of increasing surveillance on American Muslims because it would be  unconstitutional  and  wrong . Sanders said: That would be unconstitutional, it would be wrong. We are fighting a terrorist organization, a barbaric organization that is killing innocent people. We are not fighting a religion. Instead of encouraging violence and hateful attitudes against Muslims, Sanders was in favor of improved intelligence sharing between the United States and other countries, as well as monitoring social media more closely in order to prevent ISIS from recruiting.You can watch Sanders  interview below:Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton issued her own response on Tuesday, stating that the United States should ramp up security cooperation, not only in our own country among all levels of authorities but also with Europeans. Featured image via Gage Skidmore