To the Editor:
Mount Vernon Unitarian Church stands with all Unitarian Universalists in full support of our Muslim brothers and sisters throughout the world and here in the United States. We condemn the horrific statements aimed at any form of persecution or rejection of people based on their faith.
Recent statements by public figures, both those serving in public office or running for public office, are brutal comments undermining humanity’s fundamental capacity for inclusive love and commitment to religious freedom.
We are deeply disappointed in elected public figures that have articulated such extreme comments and have taken action in the form of a vote to exclude an entire class of people based on their country of origin, a blatant ruse for religious affiliation. Such actions of words and deeds are not only of profound embarrassment, they raise high concern for the message sent to all people seeking refuge from war, famine, and persecution in other countries. In addition, history has repeatedly shown that such targeted exclusion for religious affiliation from those in public office has led to further acts of justified ostracism, murder and holocaust.
This path that public figures have chosen, out of fear and ignorance, must change. We call upon all public figures, and in particular religious leaders, to speak out for a common call for education about all religions, to advocate for those whose voices have been suppressed, and to seek policies and laws that recognize religious freedom as the foundation of the United States.
Religious persecution for any reason is humanity at its worst. No child, no woman, no man, should ever be turned away from our shores because of the faith they practice. The United States is a country of freedom for all people, no matter the color of their skin, their ethnic origin, the clothes they wear, or the faith they practice.
Rev. Kate R. Walker
Mt. Vernon Unitarian Church