The religious leaders mourned victims of the attacks in New York and recognized families of Muslims killed on September 11, 2001. The coalition, called Shoulder to Shoulder, also highlighted religious organizations that have led grassroots efforts to unite religious communities across the country in the face of anti-Muslim sentiment.
Shoulder to Shoulder was formed last year to end anti-Muslim sentiment by encouraging freedom and peace. Today, the leaders celebrated the religious community’s role in helping to heal the nation.
“A decade after our nation was attacked, we honor those who lost their lives on September 11th, not only with uplifting words and enduring memories, but with a renewed commitment to the common good and the bedrock values that have made America a land of opportunity for people of diverse ethnicities and faiths,” the 26-member coalition said in a joint statement issued today.
“The time has come to reclaim the sense of community and shared purpose that guided us through those trying days a decade ago. Fear-based politics and discrimination against Muslim Americans and those perceived to be Muslim disgrace the memories of those who perished on September 11, and desecrate the core values that make our nation great. The presence in America of people of all faiths and belief systems enriches our diverse country. The ideals that unite us are more powerful than the differences that divide us.”
After the event, Walker spoke a word of support for the families surviving those killed in the attack and the importance of religious liberty for all, particularly for Muslim Americans.
“Our lives were changed forever on 9/11 when we suffered the most hellish act of aggression on our native soil since the War of 1812,” Walker said. “So, on this 10th anniversary, we remember those whose lives were lost and the families that survived them. We also pledge to continue our efforts to protect religious liberty for all people, particularly religious minorities. When anyone’s religious liberty is denied, everyone’s is in jeopardy,” Walker said.
Participants in today’s event included two leaders of BJC member bodies: Daniel Vestal, executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Rev. Dr. Carroll Baltimore, president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention . Another BJC member body, American Baptist Churches USA , is also a participant in the coalition. Other members include The Episcopal Church, the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, the Islamic Society of North America, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.
In the days after the attacks nearly 10 years ago, the BJC issued with a statement calling for a national response that is “careful not to compound the tragedy by sowing seeds of hate, casting blame where it does not belong, and seeking vengeance instead of justice.” It continued, “the response should be directed in ways that respect the religious freedom and civil liberties of all Americans, reject religious and ethnic stereotyping, and avoid the loss of innocent life.”
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The Baptist Joint Committee is a 75-year-old, Washington, D.C.-based religious liberty organization that works to defend and extend God-given religious liberty for all, bringing a uniquely Baptist witness to the principle that religion must be freely exercised, neither advanced nor inhibited by government.
