PRLog – Sep 02, 2010 – WASHINGTON, D.C. (MWA-Net) - In response to recent events triggering a wave of hate-filled rhetoric, bigotry and acts of violence against Muslim Americans across the nation, as well as consistent efforts by others seeking to block the legal rights of Muslim Americans to exercise their right of religious freedom in building houses of worship, a group of human rights and Muslim activists, The 911 Freedom Coalition, has launched an online petition addressed to President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder requesting that they defend the United States Constitution by acting to enforce the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), a federal law to prevent discriminatory practices against houses of worship.
The Defend Freedom of Religion online petition is located here.
The signed petition will be delivered to the White House and U.S. Department of Justice in conjunction with a Rally for Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Worship, and Freedom of Conscience to be held on Saturday, September 11, 2010 at Freedom Plaza, Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. between 13th and 14th Streets NW in Washington, D.C. from 2:00PM-3:00PM.
Petition and Rally organizers include, Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV), United for Pluralism, Responsible for Equality and Liberty (R.E.A.L.), and Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA).
"The U.S. Constitution is not a multiple choice document from which articles and amendments can be randomly chosen to adhere to at will. The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 is not a suggestion; it is Federal law and a mandatory requirement that applies to all Americans," stated R.E.A.L. Founder Jeffrey Imm.
Fatima Thompson, MPV Board member and D.C. Chapter President added, "To ensure liberty and justice for all, America must be a nation of law. Those who seek to express their views on various houses of worship from New York to California may have freedom of expression, but they do not have the right to deny the law that applies to all American citizens.
In supporting human rights, we must also seek to equally enforce our nation's laws, which provide the enforcement means to ensure such rights for all American citizens."
"We call upon America's chief executive and chief law enforcement officer to enforce the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 and our Constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of religion," stated MWA Director, Aishah Schwartz.
All people of conscience, regardless of religious affiliation or background, are invited to rally and stand in solidarity for the truths that U.S. citizens hold self-evident at 2:00 PM on Sept. 11, 2010 at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C.
If you would like to co-sponsor this event or need further details, please contact Jeffrey Imm at (301) 613-8789, or send an email to: dc911freedom@gmail.com. Additional information, including directions, are also available online at http://www.911Freedom.com.
RSVP for the Sept. 11 Rally at Freedom Plaza via Facebook.
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Established in 2006, MWA is an internationally-based collaboration of Muslim women writers and advocates working together to counter negative and inaccurate perceptions regarding members of the Muslim community and the Islamic faith.
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