Written by Don Byrd
In a letter today, the Baptist Joint Committee, Interfaith Alliance, and 40 other organizations urged Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and other members of Congress to end their recent anti-Muslim witch hunt. Drawing comparisons to McCarthyist tactics, Bachmann has sparked suspicions regarding respected State Department official Huma Abedin and other Muslim advocacy groups by suggesting they are spearheading an effort to infiltrate the U.S. by Islamist groups abroad.
[W]e write to raise our voices in protest of your recent letters regarding prominent American Muslim individuals and organizations. These letters question the loyalty of faithful Americans based on nothing more than their religious affiliations and what is at best tenuous evidence of their associations. As such, your actions have serious implications for religious freedom and the health of our democracy.
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Those you accuse…have long-standing histories of positive and committed work to strengthen the United States of America.Furthermore, we take offense to the implications of your actions for the American Muslim community as a whole, as you give momentum to “guilt by association” accusations and betray our foundational religious freedoms.
Bachmann’s efforts to fan the flames of suspicion based on religious affiliation deserve protest. Anyone calling on baseless investigations into American loyalty because of someone’s religious belief and associations disrespects the American tradition of diversity and religious liberty for all. For members of Congress to do it is shameful.
