WASHINGTON – Following the announcement about the creation of the Religious Liberty Task Force by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Rabbi Jack Moline, president of Interfaith Alliance, called on Sessions to re-evaluate his definition of religious freedom:
“Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Department of Justice can’t celebrate the United States as ‘one of the world’s most diverse religious people’ while jettisoning the interests of the vast majority of Americans of faith and of no particular faith. The attempt to have it both ways shouldn’t come as a surprise from someone who simultaneously praises Roger Williams – a man ostracized for his faith – and the Pilgrims – the community that ostracized him – as good examples of the ‘freedom of conscience.’
“In equating respect for people of faith with saying ‘Merry Christmas,’ the speech by Sessions was the clearest statement of the administration’s radical redefinition of religious freedom by preferencing a single brand of religion over all the others. We call on Sessions and the Department of Justice to reconsider the creation of a task force designed to enforce the use of religion as a license to discriminate.”
Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, Interfaith Alliance brings together members from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition to protect faith and freedom. For more information visit www.interfaithalliance.org.