I am happy to have signed this letter:
April 4, 2019
Dear President Trump, Vice President Pence, Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McCarthy, Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer:
We are a diverse group of advocates for religious liberty for all. We sometimes differ about what religious freedom requires, but we are united around the bedrock principle of ensuring that all individuals and communities are able to exercise their faith in safety and security. We write to ask you to take action to uphold this principle.
We are grieving over the most recent heinous attacks on houses of worship. The March 15th attack on two mosques in New Zealand during Friday prayer killed fifty Muslims and injured fifty more. In the weeks since, an assailant stabbed a Catholic priest in a Montreal church during Mass, and a California mosque was set on fire and vandalized with graffiti referencing the New Zealand attacks. Moreover, to our alarm, in the aftermath of the New Zealand attacks we have seen the Jewish community falsely accused as somehow being responsible for those attacks— rhetoric that further endangers that community as well.
As you know, other houses of worship have also been targeted for unspeakable violence in recent years. In the United States, these attacks include ones on Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek; Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina; Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota; First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas; and Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The words we use matter greatly, especially the words of our leaders. In 1790, President George Washington wrote a letter to the members of Touro Synagogue, insisting that the government of the United States must give “to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance. . . .” All Americans should be able to “sit in safety under [their] own vine[s] and figtree[s],” with “none to make [them] afraid,” Washington said.
We ask you to uphold these principles. As governmental leaders, you have a special duty to ensure that your words comport with the spirit of the Constitution and help to unify, strengthen and keep Americans safe.
Accordingly, we ask you to affirm the following principles in coming days:
- Individuals of all faiths and none have equal dignity, worth and rights to religious freedom.
- A person is not more or less American because of his or her faith. People of all faiths and none are equal and make outstanding contributions to the United States.
- Individuals must be able to exercise their religion, including attending their houses of worship and practicing their faith in the public square, without fear for their physical safety.
- Scapegoating, stereotyping and spreading false information about any person or community, including religious individuals and communities, is unacceptable.
- Americans should never foment fear about groups based on attributes like religion, race or ethnicity, and they should speak against fear-mongering by others.
- The civic and religious virtue of humble dialogue with those with whom one disagrees should be encouraged.
- Leaders should avoid using violent imagery because it can encourage violence, especially among those who are so inclined and those who are impressionable.
- An attack on one religion should be treated as an attack on every faith. As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”
We hope you will devote specific remarks to these principles in the days ahead. We vow to work with you to ensure that individuals and communities are able to practice their faith without fear.
Sincerely, William Aiken
President, Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington
Washington, D.C.
Bishop Claude Alexander The Park Church Charlotte, North Carolina
Leith Anderson President
National Association of Evangelicals
Marge Baker
Executive Vice President for Policy and Program People for the American Way Foundation
Bishop Carroll A. Baltimore
Global Alliance Interfaith Networks
Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera Bishop of Scranton
Chairman, USCCB Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
Jenna Baron Executive Director
Alliance for Refugee Youth Support & Education Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Rev. Dr. James E. Baucom, Jr. Senior Pastor
Columbia Baptist Church Falls Church, Virginia
Thomas C. Berg
James L. Oberstar Professor of Law and Public Policy University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minnesota)
Anju Bhargava Founder
Hindu American Seva Communities
Rev. Dr. Steve Bland Michigan Baptist Association Detroit, Michigan
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi President
Buddhist Association of the United States
Rev. Brendolyn Boseman
African American Ministers Leadership Council Augusta, Georgia
J. Mark Brinkmoeller
Vice President, International Interfaith Peace Corps
Former Director, USAID Center for Faith-based and Community Initiatives
Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio Archbishop for the Military Services, USA
Chairman, USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace
Rev. Paul Bush
Concerned Clergy Fellowship Aiken, South Carolina
Rev. Jennifer Butler Chief Executive Officer Faith in Public Life
Rev. Bruce A. Cameron
Retired Lutheran Minister (LCMS) St. Louis, Missouri
Sister Simone Campbell Executive Director
NETWORK Advocates for Catholic Social Justice
Galen Carey
Vice President for Government Relations National Association of Evangelicals
Dr. John D. Carlson
Associate Professor of Religious Studies and
Interim Director, Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict Arizona State University
Angela Carmella Professor
Seton Hall University School of Law
Patrick Carolan Executive Director
Franciscan Action Network
Rev. David B. Carver
First United Presbyterian Church of Crafton Heights Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Rev. Dorothy Chaney VASHTI Women of Faith Miami, Florida
Bishop Harry Chaney MICAH Leadership Council Cairo, Georgia
Dr. Arturo Chavez President
Mexican American Catholic College
Rev. Dr. Michael Couch MICAH Leadership Council Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Rev. Dr. Jill Y. Crainshaw Interim Dean
Blackburn Professor of Worship and Liturgical Theology Wake Forest University School of Divinity
Rev. Alan Cross
Southern Baptist Convention Minister
Writer/Author, Missional Strategist, Baptist Association of Montgomery, Alabama
Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie
Director, Center for Peace and Spirituality University Chaplain
Pacific University
Rev. Fred Davie Executive Vice-President
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Rev. Delisha Davis
MICAH Leadership Council Alexandria, Virginia
Dr. David DeCosse Santa Clara University
Co-editor, Conscience and Catholicism: Rights, Responsibilities, and Institutional Responses (Orbis 2015)
Dr. Sabrina E. Dent
Director of Programs and Partnerships
Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Institute
Dr. Miguel Diaz
U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See (ret.)
John Courtney Murray University Chair in Public Service Loyola University of Chicago
Dr. John DiIulio
Frederic Fox Leadership Professor of Politics, Religion, and Civil Society University of Pennsylvania
Former Director, White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives
Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas Dean
Episcopal Divinity School at Union
Rev. Dr. Pam Durso Executive Director
Baptist Women in Ministry Atlanta, Georgia
Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin Bishop
Southwest California Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Rev. Kristen Farrington Executive Director
Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Institute
Todd Fetters, Bishop
Church of the United Brethren in Christ
Richard T. Foltin Senior Scholar
Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Institute
Dr. Curtis W. Freeman Research Professor of Theology
Director of the Baptist House of Studies Duke University School of Divinity
Dr. Nicole Baker Fulgham President
The Expectations Project
Rev. Dr. Willie Gable Interfaith Ministers Alliance New Orleans, Louisiana
Richard W. Garnett
Paul J. Schierl / Fort Howard Corporation Professor of Law Director, Notre Dame Program on Church, State & Society Concurrent Professor of Political Science
University of Notre Dame
Dr. Robert P. George
McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence
Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions Princeton University
Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson General Secretary Emeritus Reformed Church in America
Dr. Steven Green
Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law
Director of the Center for Religion, Law & Democracy Willamette University School of Law
Jonathan A. Greenblatt
Chief Executive Office and National Director Anti-Defamation League
Dr. R. Marie Griffith
John C. Danforth Distinguished Professor in the Humanities Director, John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri
Anjleen Kaur Gumer Executive Director National Sikh Campaign
Rev. Dr. David P. Gushee
Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics Director, Center for Theology & Public Life, Mercer University Immediate Past President, American Academy of Religion & Society of Christian Ethics
Ken Hackett
U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See (ret.)
President and CEO of Catholic Relief Services (ret.)
Iftekhar A. Hai President
UMA Interfaith Alliance
Rev. Cynthia L. Hale Senior Pastor
Ray of Hope Christian Church Decatur, Georgia
Diana Bate Hardy
Executive Director and Co-founder Mormon Women for Ethical Government
Elder Lee Harris
African American Ministers Leadership Council Jacksonville, Florida
Hoda Hawa
Director, Washington, D.C. Office Muslim Public Affairs Council
Rev. Jennifer Hawks Associate General Counsel
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
Dr. Charles C. Haynes Founding Director
Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Institute
Rev. Dr. Katharine Rhodes Henderson President
Auburn Seminary
Dr. Dennis P. Hollinger
President & Colman M. Mockler Distinguished Professor of Christian Ethics Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary
Shirley V. Hoogstra, J.D. President
Council for Christian Colleges & Universities
Rev. Amiri Hooker
MICAH Leadership Council Columbia, South Carolina
Pastor Carolyn Hurst, MD Seventh-day Adventist Cleveland, Ohio
Pastor Jerome Hurst Seventh-day Adventist Cleveland, Ohio
Dr. Amir Hussain
Professor of Theological Studies Loyola Marymount University
Dr. Trung Huynh Enlightened Buddha Temple Sugar Land, Texas
Rev. Charles Foster Johnson
Pastor, Bread Fellowship, Fort Worth, Texas Executive Director, Pastors for Texas Children
Rev. Louis Jones, II Washington, D.C.
Rev. Dr. Serene Jones President
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Pardeep Singh Kaleka
Board of Trustees, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin Co-Founder, Serve 2 Unite
Bishop Lawrence Kirby Racine, Wisconsin
Douglas W. Kmiec
Professor of Constitutional Law & Human Rights Ambassador of the United States (ret.)
Steven A. Krueger
Catholic Social Justice Advocate Boston, Massachusetts
Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Archbishop of Louisville
Chairman, USCCB Committee for Religious Liberty
Rev. William H. Lamar IV Pastor
Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church Washington, D.C.
Rachel Laser Executive Director
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Jason Lemieux
Director of Government Affairs Center for Inquiry
Skip L’Heureux
Executive Director Emeritus Queens Federation of Churches
Shapri D. LoMaglio, J.D.
Senior Vice President for Government & External Relations Council for Christian Colleges & Universities
Jacob Lupfer
Committee on Religious Liberty
Rev. Jo Anne Lyon Ambassador
General Superintendent Emerita The Wesleyan Church
Daniel Mach Director
ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief
Rev. Carlos L. Malavé Executive Director
Christian Churches Together
Benjamin Pietro Marcus Religious Literacy Specialist
Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Institute
Rev. Dr. George A. Mason Senior Pastor
Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas President, Faith Commons
Rev. Isaac McCullough Jacksonville, Florida
Rev. Timothy McDonald First Iconium Baptist Church Atlanta, Georgia
Nipun Mehta
Founder, ServiceSpace
Arno Arr Michaelis IV Director, Serve 2 Unite
Co-Author, The Gift of Our Wounds
Dr. Vincent J. Miller
Gudorf Chair in Catholic Theology and Culture University of Dayton
Elliot Mincberg
People for the American Way Foundation
Jack Moline President Interfaith Alliance
Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.
Pastor Emeritus
Olivet Institutional Baptist Church Cleveland, Ohio
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy Executive Director
Catholic Mobilizing Network
Rev. Rich Nathan Senior Pastor
Vineyard Columbus, Columbus, Ohio
Carl Nelson
President, Transform Minnesota: the evangelical network
The Honorable Thomas P. O’Neill III Chief Executive Officer
O’Neill And Associates
Dr. Aristotle “Telly” Papanikolaou Professor of Theology
Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture Co-founding Director, Orthodox Christian Studies Center Fordham University
Suzii Paynter Co-Director
Pastors for Texas Children
Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell Pastor
First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, D.C.
Rabbi Jonah Pesner Director
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Dr. Daniel Philpott
Professor of Political Science University of Notre Dame
John D. Pierce
Executive Editor/Publisher Nurturing Faith Publishing
Dr. Soong-Chan Rah
Milton B. Engebretson Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism North Park Theological Seminary
Shahid Rahman Executive Director
American Muslim Institution
Curtis Ramsey-Lucas Editor, The Christian Citizen
American Baptist Home Mission Societies
Rev. Dr. R. Mitch Randall Executive Director
Ethics Daily
Nancy Ratzan Former President
National Council of Jewish Women
Stephen Reeves
Associate Coordinator of Partnerships & Advocacy Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Melissa Rogers
Visiting Professor, Wake Forest University School of Divinity
Former Director, White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships
James Roosevelt, Jr.
Catholic Health Care Advocate Boston, Massachusetts
Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero President
National Association of Latino Evangelicals
Rev. Alexia Salvatierra
Faith-Rooted Organizing UnNetwork
Rabbi David N. Saperstein
U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom (ret.)
Brett G. Scharffs
Rex E. Lee Chair and Professor of Law
Director, International Center for Law and Religion Studies Brigham Young University School of Law
Dr. Stephen Schneck
Retired Director, Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies The Catholic University of America
Rabbi Julie Schonfeld Chief Executive Officer The Rabbinical Assembly
Dr. Timothy Samuel Shah
Senior Fellow and Director of the South and Southeast Asia Action Team, Religious Freedom Institute
Non-resident Research Professor of Government at Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion
Rev. Dr. Robert Shine
African American Ministers Leadership Council Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Suhag Shukla, Esq.
Executive Director
Hindu American Foundation
Ambassador Islam Siddiqui President
American Muslim Institution
Dr. Ronald J. Sider
Distinguished Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry and Public Policy Palmer Seminary at Eastern University
Rev. Dr. Susan Smith
African American Ministers Leadership Council Columbus, Ohio
Stephanie Summers Chief Executive Office Center for Public Justice
Sayyid Syeed President
Islamic Society of North America
Dr. Matthew A. Tapie
Assistant Professor of Theology
Director, Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies Saint Leo University, Florida
Amanda Tyler Executive Director
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
Asma Uddin Senior Scholar
Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Institute
Dr. Corey D. B. Walker Visiting Professor University of Richmond
Freedom Forum Institute Senior Fellow for Religious Freedom
Rev. Jim Wallis Founder and President Sojourners
Colin P. Watson, Sr.
Director of Ministries and Administration Christian Reformed Church in North America
Michael Wear Chief Strategist
The AND Campaign
Debbie Weinstein Coalition on Human Needs
J. Patrick Whelan, MD PhD
Academic Advisory Council
Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at University of Southern California
Rev. Dr. Cathy Williams VASHTI Women of Faith Raleigh, North Carolina
Rev. Merchuria Chase Williams, PhD African American Leadership Council Atlanta, Georgia
Rev. Leslie Marie Wilson Director
African American Ministers Leadership Council Waldorf, Maryland
Rev. Melvin Wilson
St. Matthew AME Church Orange, New Jersey
Rev. Dr. Nancy Wilson Metropolitan Community Churches
Rev. Patrick Young
Mobilizing Preachers and Community (MPAC) New York
E. Elmhurst, New York
* Titles and organizational affiliations listed for informational purposes only