When President Trump told four Congresswomen of color – two of them also Muslim – to “go back where you came from,” and then later used his support for Israel to justify his statement, I was sickened. I was sickened as an American Jew and I was sickened as the leader of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, because no matter what your or my or these members’ views are on Israel, loyalty to any religion or religious people should never be used to justify xenophobic and racist remarks.
There has never been more reason to raise our voices and call out the misuse of religious freedom as a tool for white nationalism and division.
That’s just one of the reasons why, on Tuesday, I was honored to join the Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart, the National LGBTQ Task Force’s faith work director, for a timely discussion on how racism and religious freedom intersect. “Because God Said So? Religious Freedom as a Tool of White Supremacy” was an incredibly valuable discussion and I invite you to watch the video, especially in light of this week’s events.
White supremacists have always considered religious freedom a convenient weapon in their arsenal. As Rev. Washington-Leapheart said, “This country has a legacy of offering a loophole to those who want to preserve white supremacy and use religious freedom to do it.” Trump’s words last weekend are an unfortunate example of that tactic.
The simple fact is this: we have defeated this tactical misuse of religious freedom before, and we will do so again. The vast majority of Americans believe our country is a place for everyone, no matter where you’re from or what you believe. With your help, we at AU will continue to protect these fundamental American principles and help ensure America is a place where all religions, and the nonreligious, are equally welcome.
With hope and determination,
Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO, Americans United
To my fellow Christians, I’d like to say, please do not take every attempt to enforce church-state separation as an attack on Christianity. It is imperative to be critical of each individual situation and weigh the circumstances.
President Donald Trump tweeted that four members of the U.S. House of Representatives (all of whom are women of color) should “go back” to the countries they came from.
