The Baptist Joint Committee and 41 other organizations condemned religiously based allegations raised by five members of Congress that American Muslims connected to the U.S. government may be trying to spread the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic political movement.
According to a letter signed by the BJC and other groups, allegations made by Reps. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., Trent Franks, R-Ariz., Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, Thomas Rooney, R-Fla., and Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., “have serious [harmful] implications for religious freedom” because they questioned “the loyalty of faithful Americans based on nothing more than their religious affiliations and what is at best tenuous evidence of their associations.” The interfaith letter was sent to those members of Congress as well as department heads at five federal agencies to whom the representatives’ allegations had been addressed.
In their letters, sent in June, the five members of Congress called for government investigations of individuals and organizations which they claim may have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Their accusations were based largely on a report by the Center for Security Policy, a group “known for its consistently anti-Muslim agenda,” according to the letter signed by the BJC.
The letter protesting the allegations said, “We will continue to speak out in support of people of all faiths and no faith, and the religious freedom of all Americans to practice — or choose not to practice — a religion without fear of criticism or suspicion.”
Other signatories of the letter include American Baptist Churches USA, Interfaith Alliance, NAACP, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness, the ACLU and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
From the July/August 2012 Report from the Capital. Click here for the next article.
