Without Racial Justice, Religious Freedom is an Incomplete Promise

For Immediate Release Contact: Shannon Craig Straw, West End Strategy Team, 202-776-7700, scstraw@westendstrategy.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2021

CONTACT
Manisha Sunil, West End Strategy Team
msunil@westendstrategy.com; Phone: 202-417-0171

Interfaith Alliance: ‘Without Racial Justice, Religious Freedom is an Incomplete Promise’

WASHINGTON — In response to the increase of anti-Asian attacks, including the recent murders in Atlanta, Rabbi Jack Moline, president of Interfaith Alliance, released the following statement emphasizing the need for interfaith solidarity with the AAPI community:

“The last year has brought profound hardships on all of us, but it’s deeply disturbing to witness how Asian communities have been forced to cope with threats of violence, hatred and prejudice on top of the other challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Discriminatory acts against the Asian community are not new and build on a long history of systemic exploitation and oppression.

“The threat of violence against our Asian siblings is only fed by the hateful language that has been embraced by far too many individuals in positions of authority, including those who harness fear and prejudice for their own political interests. It is difficult to separate the heinous violence perpetrated last week in Atlanta from the racism and xenophobia that AAPI communities and immigrants have endured all across this nation.

“As people of faith and conscience, we cannot sit idly by. It is incumbent upon us to listen to the communities acutely impacted by this vitriol, uplift organizations working to end AAPI hate, and hold elected officials accountable when they use language that further marginalizes Asian communities. 

“Without racial justice, religious freedom is an incomplete promise. Interfaith Alliance joins in solidarity with the Asian community, with the knowledge that our freedoms are inextricably bound together.”

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Interfaith Alliance is a network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights not just for some, but for all. We mobilize powerful coalitions to challenge Christian nationalism and religious extremism, while fostering a better understanding of the healthy boundaries between religion and government. We advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America where the freedoms of belief and religious practice are protected, and where all persons are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive. For more information visit interfaithalliance.org.