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Ocean City, Maryland: Home of Religious Bigotry?
  1. Signatures
    1,009 out of 1,500
    Petitioning
    1. Mayor of Ocean City, Maryland (+ 7 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Mayor of Ocean City, Maryland (Rick Meehan)
      • City Council Member (Joseph T Hall II)
      • City Council Member (Mary Knight)
      • City Council Member (Margaret Pillas)
      • City Council President (James S. Hall)
      • City Council Secretary (Lloyd Martin)
      • City Council Member (Brent Ashley)
      • City Council Member (Doug Cymek)
  2. Created By
    Standing on the Side of Love
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

Anti-Islamic bigotry and hatred are coming to the coastal vacation town of Ocean City, Md. As part of the annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast with Mayor Rick Meehan on January 26, retired Lieutenant General William G. “Jerry” Boykin of the US Army has been chosen to be the special speaking guest; unfortunately he will be bringing his hateful, racist beliefs with him.

Lieutenant General Boykin has been continuously outspoken in his views that Islam is not a religion, but “a totalitarian way of life,” and that it “should not be protected under the First Amendment.” He has also stated that Muslims should not be allowed to build mosques in America, that there be no interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims, and that Christians must go on the offensive against Islam.

Ocean City bills itself as a family-friendly destination for people across the whole country. A prayer breakfast in the Mayor's name and attended by the city council is not a place where this sort of intolerance should be promoted.

Ask Mayor Meehan to have his name removed from the event, refuse to attend with Boykin, oppose the bigoted views of his guest, and support the inclusion of all Americans, including Muslim Americans.  We are also asking the City Council to refuse to attend.

You can read more about it here:

http://www.marylandjuice.com/2012/01/ocean-city-mayors-special-guest-says-no.html

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/anti-islam-activist-keynote-ocean-city-mayors-prayer-breakfast

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-washington/post/an-army-officer-years-on-still-a-lightning-rod/2012/01/23/gIQA4slyKQ_blog.html

Why People Are Signing
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Don't Give a Voice to Religious Bigotry

Mayor Meehan and the Ocean City City Council,

Do not allow Lieutenant General Boykin the opportunity to spread his bigoted anti-Islamic views to Ocean City in your name. The Mayor's Prayer Breakfast should be a time to focus on love and interfaith cooperation, not religious bigotry and intolerance against one group of Americans. Please, do not let his divisive, incendiary rhetoric infiltrate your town this week!

Please ask that the Mayor's name be removed from the event and do not attend if Lt. Gen. Boykin will be speaking. He claims to be an expert on Islam, but it seems all he knows about Muslims is how to hate them.

Lieutenant General Boykin has been continually outspoken in his views that Islam is not a religion, but “a totalitarian way of life,” and that it “should not be protected under the First Amendment.” He has also stated that Muslims should not be allowed to build mosques in America, that there be no interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims, and that Christians must go on the offensive against Islam. Muslims deserve to be treated with respect, not persecution.

Ocean City bills itself as a family-friendly destination for people across the whole country. A prayer breakfast in the Mayor's name and attended by municipal employees is not a place where this sort of intolerance should be promoted.

I am asking you to not attend the event with Boykin, oppose the bigoted views that he espouses, and support the inclusion of all Americans, including Muslim Americans. Do not allow this bigotry a central place in Ocean City. Intolerance is unacceptable, and a prayer breakfast is certainly not a place where intolerance should be promoted.

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