"It is not righteousness that you turn your faces toward East or West; but it is righteousness to believe in God, … to spend of your substance out of love for Him for your relatives, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who seek assistance, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage;”
The Quran, 2:177
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice decries the recent acts of hate and violence that have occurred around the country. Last Friday a Sikh man was shot in his own driveway in a Seattle suburb by an assailant who told him to “go back to your own country”. Just a few days earlier, two Indian men were shot, one of them killed, in a bar in Kansas. Their attacker similarly shouted ‘get out of my country’ just before opening fire. Two Jewish cemeteries in St. Louis and Philadelphia were vandalized, in the wake of two months of bomb threats against Jewish institutions across the country. And there is a reported rise in hate crimes against Muslims, including the burning of mosques in Texas.
As people of faith and moral conscience, we stand in solidarity with our Sikh, Indian, Jewish, and Muslim brothers and sisters. We call upon our elected officials, from the highest office in the country to local governments, to take a vocal and vigorous stand against hate. And we call on our law enforcement agencies to put all their resources into protecting our vulnerable communities.
We are heartened by the outreach of Muslim communities who have raised funds to restore the Jewish cemeteries, and of the Jewish community that provided worship space to a Texas mosque while it rebuilds. Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice and our Faith Leaders Building Community, Standing Together initiative is dedicated to bringing together the many diverse faith communities among us, to stand together in mutual respect and support, and to create a society where our diverse cultures and beliefs are celebrated and we live together in safety and in peace.
In peace and solidarity,
Rabbi Bonnie Margulis
President
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
www.wisconsinfaithvoicesforjustice.org
www.facebook.com/WisconsinFaithVoicesForJustice
608-827-9482
The Quran, 2:177
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice decries the recent acts of hate and violence that have occurred around the country. Last Friday a Sikh man was shot in his own driveway in a Seattle suburb by an assailant who told him to “go back to your own country”. Just a few days earlier, two Indian men were shot, one of them killed, in a bar in Kansas. Their attacker similarly shouted ‘get out of my country’ just before opening fire. Two Jewish cemeteries in St. Louis and Philadelphia were vandalized, in the wake of two months of bomb threats against Jewish institutions across the country. And there is a reported rise in hate crimes against Muslims, including the burning of mosques in Texas.
As people of faith and moral conscience, we stand in solidarity with our Sikh, Indian, Jewish, and Muslim brothers and sisters. We call upon our elected officials, from the highest office in the country to local governments, to take a vocal and vigorous stand against hate. And we call on our law enforcement agencies to put all their resources into protecting our vulnerable communities.
We are heartened by the outreach of Muslim communities who have raised funds to restore the Jewish cemeteries, and of the Jewish community that provided worship space to a Texas mosque while it rebuilds. Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice and our Faith Leaders Building Community, Standing Together initiative is dedicated to bringing together the many diverse faith communities among us, to stand together in mutual respect and support, and to create a society where our diverse cultures and beliefs are celebrated and we live together in safety and in peace.
In peace and solidarity,
Rabbi Bonnie Margulis
President
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
www.wisconsinfaithvoicesforjustice.org
www.facebook.com/WisconsinFaithVoicesForJustice
608-827-9482
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