To the elected leaders of Texas and the United States:
We write as clergy and faith leaders from across traditions to condemn the harmful rhetoric and blatant discrimination aimed against Muslim communities by political leaders in Texas and our nation.
In the United States of America, the role of government is to stop genuine threats to national security. Its role is not to engage in the policing of thought, speech, or belief. In accusing American Muslim organizations, communities, and individuals of anti-American activity or intent, an increasing number of our elected officials have abdicated their authority as representatives of the American people.
In our public life, disagreement is inevitable. But what we are witnessing now is not disagreement. It is the rejection of an entire faith in the American story. It is the attack on classmates, co-workers, and neighbors because they are Muslim. It is the use of government power and political rhetoric to marginalize, demean, and exclude Muslims from their legitimate and well-earned place in American history and society.
Members of Congress have organized efforts warning of “Sharia” as a threat to the Constitution, introduced legislation aimed at barring those who “observe Sharia” from entering or remaining in this country, and convened hearings that portray Islam itself as incompatible with American life. In Texas, state leaders have designated prominent Muslim organizations as terrorist entities, initiated investigations into Muslim institutions, and sought to restrict their ability to operate and participate fully in civic life.
At the same time, we have heard anti-democratic words from public officials suggesting that Muslims do not belong in American society, that they are inherently suspect, or that our state should be made so inhospitable that they leave.
These are not isolated remarks. They form a pattern. And that pattern threatens the very foundations of our common life.
As people of faith, we recognize what is at stake. The First Amendment does not exist to protect only the majority. It exists precisely to ensure that no government may single out a religious community for suspicion, exclusion, or unequal treatment. When Muslims are targeted, no less than when Jews or Christians or atheists are targeted, religious liberty itself is endangered.
We reject the false claim that Muslim participation in our democracy is a threat to it. Muslim Texans and Muslim Americans are our neighbors, our colleagues, our fellow citizens. They serve in our communities, care for our families, educate our children, and contribute to the common good. They do not need permission to belong.
Our society is strongest when its diversity is embraced rather than exploited. We must replace suspicion with friendship and hostility with respect.
We therefore call on leaders in Texas and in Washington to:
Repudiate rhetoric that denies Muslims equal standing in American society;
Abandon efforts that single out Islam or Muslims for exclusion under the guise of national security;
End investigations and designations that target Muslim organizations on the basis of religion;
Reject policies that would limit participation in public life based on faith;
Reaffirm, in word and in deed, the constitutional promise of religious liberty for all.
We also call on leaders of every party and every faith to speak clearly. Silence in moments like this is not neutrality; it is acquiescence. The work of democracy requires courage, and the work of faith requires us to stand with those who are targeted.
Our traditions teach us, in different ways but with one voice, that every person bears dignity. We are taught to love our neighbor as ourselves, and today the urgent test is whether we love our Muslim neighbors as ourselves. These truths do not change with the shifting winds of politics.
An attack on Muslims is an attack on religious freedom.
An attack on religious freedom is an attack on us all.
We stand with our Muslim neighbors. We will not be silent. And we will continue to insist that this country belongs equally to people of every faith and of none.
Signed,
Faith Commons
Rev. Dr. George A. Mason, President, Faith Commons
Rabbi Nancy Kasten, Chief Relationship Officer, Faith Commons
CLEAR DFW (Clergy League for Emergency Action and Response of Dallas/ Fort Worth)
Rev. Beth Dana
Kim Verriere
Dr. Todd Atkins
Rev. Cathy Sweeney
Rabbi Kimberly Herzog Cohen
Minister Dominique Alexander
Risa Gross
Syed Hadi Jawad
Rev. Dr. Neil G Thomas
Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes
Stacey R. Merlin
Danielle Shroyer
Kamil Celik
Nicole Bates
Rev. J. David Hargrave
Rev. Victoria Robb Powers
Chris Slaughter
Sister Patricia Ridgley
Jerry Walker
Rebecca Tankersley
Linda Sanchez
Andrew Craig Stoker
Armel Crocker
Rev. Tim Griffin
Stephen Reeves
Carson Hollis
Virginia Ann Vissing
Haley Hampton
Rev. Kerry Smith
Rev. Dr. Daniel Kanter
Dawn Weaks
Almas Muscatwalla
Amos Disasa
Rev. Karl Schwarz
Shazia Anwar
Dawn Hallman
Rev. Nancy M DeStefano
Elizabeth Nance-Coker
Collin Packer
Rev. Eric Folkerth
Andrew Paley
Hallie Weiner
Dorothy Burton
Rev. Carol Montgomery
Mary Anne Owens
Rev. Kay Ash
Karen Hoffman
Bilal Sert
Robert Hunt
Tiffany McClain
Heather Mustain
Jerry Herships
Bishop Erik Gronberg, PhD
Abbey Adcox
Rev. Darren J. DeMent
Rev. Linda S. Miller
Joey Darwin
Rev. Rachel Griffin-Allison
Rev. Monica Frazier
Melissa Campbell
Rev. Holly Bandel
Charles Fuller
Timothy Peoples
Cindy Samuelsen
Rev. Barbara Dunlap
Pam Stiles
Jan Dumas
Linda Garrett
Kymberlaine Banks
Rev. Phil Dieke
Cameron Vickrey
Steve Long
Rev. Dr. Kendrick Crawford
Rev. Jonathan Perry
The Rev Christopher Thomas
Rev. Amy W. Moore
Aftab Ahmad Siddiqui
Laura Walters
Frank Rahm
Rev. Virginia Holleman
Denise Benavides
Jaime Clark-Soles
Neenah M. Friedheim
Rev. Jordann McMahan
Suhail Kausar
Lisa Garvin
Mary Beth Hardesty-Crouch
Rev. Wally Butts
Audra Williams-Chambliss
Rev. Annie McGregor Meek
Scott Gilliland
Rev. Meg Witmer-Faile
Rev. Diane Pennington
Paula Maroney
Chris Rickwartz
Pat Beghtel Mahle
Barbara Peterson
Rev. Jessica Wright
Rev. Dr. Marcus Womack
Rev. Kristin N. Warthen
Carolyn V. Atkins
Staci Orr
Alan Wright
Rev. Ashley Anne Sipe
Rev. Joseph Stabile
Lindsay O’Connor
O. Wesley Allen, Jr.
Gordon Johnson
Rev. Laura Echols-Richter
Shaimaa Zayan
Rev. Marianne Brown-Trigg
David Scott Gonzalez
Richard Luttrell
Kim Moore
Mary Moses
Rev. Billy Echols-Richter
Aminah Momin
Eric Howell
Rev. Debra Loudin-McCann
Rev. Mara Richards Bim
Jennifer Carter
Rev. Maggie Kennedy Morey
Cara Davis
Richie Butler
Rev. Mally Baum
Karen Jager
Aija Duelm
The Rev. R. Casey Shobe
Eric Liles
Rev. Allison Drake
Peggy Lo
The Rev. Chris Steele
John Han
The Rev. Jerry (JD) Godwin
Rev. Thomas J. FitzGerald
Michelle Bonilla
Sam Greer
Rev. Lori King-Nelson
Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles
Patrick Wilson
Terence C Roper
Dameon Madison
Nancy Pannell
Diana Bridges
Steven Tomlinson
Rabbi Kelly Levy
Elizabeth Webb
Rev. Paul Maletic
The Rev. Jonathan Melton
Jue Ji Shih
Rev. Julie Harding
Tanner Trask
Rev. Ann Willet
Rev. Dr. Anna Hosemann-Butler
Shelley Walters
Ellen Alexandrakis
Julia Castleman
Rev. Kristen Perkins Glover
Julie Merritt Lee
David Gilliam
Valarie Englert
Sandra Avalos
Rev. Katie Newsome
Lance Mayes
Joel Schwitzer
Pastor Jennifer R. Cumberbatch
Hilary Marchbanks
Charles R Yarbrough II
Carolyn Shapard
Allison Lanza
Carol W Tobias, National Council of Jewish Women
Michael Davis, WorldwideStew
Chrissie Ozuna, Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church
