The Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy , executive director of The Interfaith Alliance and The Interfaith Foundation released the following statement regarding the press conference convened by the Council of American Islamic Relations and the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. Today's press conference convened by the Milwaukee Muslim community and the Council of American Islamic Relations highlighting the concerns of American Muslims from across our nation raises serious questions about the Federal Bureau of Investigation's targeting of American Muslims and their attempts to covertly infiltrate Islamic houses of worship around the nation.
Religious bigotry comes in many forms.
The framers of our Constitution truly understood the danger of religious oppression and sought to protect religious and political minorities from government-sanctioned discrimination and harassment. Unfortunately, the political manipulation of religion by a minority of extremists among Islam's estimated 1 billion adherents has given birth to the erroneous Western stereotype that Islam condones terrorism. This insidious stereotype has created a culture of fear in which Muslims are now being viewed with suspicion as possible enemies of our nation. Islam's diverse communities of faith have been a part our nation's religious landscape since before the founding of our Republic. Today's estimated six million American Muslims are entitled to the same religious protections as Jews, Christians, Buddhists and those who choose no faith.