PRESS
RELEASE from American Muslim Taskforce
on Civil Rights and Elections via PRNewswire-USNewswire
Muslim Coalition Asks GOP Debaters to Reject Islamophobia
Several debate participants have history of promoting
anti-Muslim bias
WASHINGTON, June 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and
Elections (AMT*), a national coalition of major Muslim
organizations, today called on Republican presidential
candidates to repudiate growing Islamophobia in American society
during tonight's GOP debate in New
Hampshire.
In a statement, AMT said:
"We call on all the participants in tonight's GOP presidential
debate in New Hampshire to
state clearly that they will not promote or exploit growing
anti-Muslim sentiment to gain political advantage.
"While appealing to fear and religious intolerance may score
some cheap political points with a vocal minority in American
society, our nation and its values of diversity and inclusion
are harmed in the process.
"American Muslims deserve the same rights and respect as other
citizens."
AMT says several of those taking part in tonight's debate hold
Islamophobic views or promote unconstitutional measures
targeting American Muslims. For example:
- Herman Cain first said he
would not appoint a Muslim to a cabinet position, but later
modified that stance by calling for an unconstitutional
"loyalty" oath for Muslim appointees.
- Former Pennsylvania
senator Rick Santorum calls
Sharia, or Islamic principles, "an existential threat" to
America. In a "lecture on Islam," Santorum falsely claimed the
Quran, Islam's revealed text, was written in "Islamic."
- Former House speaker Newt Gingrich
has suggested a federal anti-Sharia law. He also said: "I am
convinced that if we do not decisively win the struggle over
the nature of America, by the time they [his grandchildren]
are my age they will be in a secular atheist country,
potentially one dominated by radical Islamists. ..." Gingrich
once issued a statement calling for a ban on all mosques near
Ground Zero "so long as there are no churches or synagogues in
Saudi Arabia."
- In response to a 2005 debate question about French Muslims,
Michele Bachmann (R-MN) said:
"Not all cultures are equal. Not all values are equal."
- Former Minnesota governor
Tim Pawlenty touted his
cancellation of a Minnesota
agency's Sharia-compliant mortgage program designed to help
Muslim homebuyers.
- Former Massachusetts
governor Mitt Romney said in
2007 that he would not consider Muslims for cabinet posts.
Romney stated: "... based on the numbers of American Muslims
[as a percentage] in our population, I cannot see that a
cabinet position would be justified. But of course, I would
imagine that Muslims could serve at lower levels of my
administration." (Romney later disputed the accuracy of that
quote.)