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Tell Congressman West to Apologize for Anti-Islamic Remarks
  1. Signatures
    162 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. The U.S. House of Representatives (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The U.S. House of Representatives
      • Rep. Allen West (FL-22)
  2. Created By
    Nadra Kareem Nittle
    Los Angeles, CA
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

Did you know that Islam isn’t a religion? That’s the gospel according to Florida Rep. Allen West, who made that remark during a town hall meeting last year. Instead, Allen posits that Islam is a “totalitarian theocratic political ideology” and “we need to have individuals that stand up and say that.” But that’s not the only outrageous remark West has made about the religion. Asked recently how he will get along with legislators such as Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, one of two Muslim members in the House, West suggested that the congressman represents “the antithesis of the principles upon which this country was established.”

West has evidently overlooked the fact that the United States was founded, in part, on the principle of religious freedom. Moreover, one of our nation’s founding fathers—Thomas Jefferson—respected Islam enough to include a Koran among his personal possessions. In fact, Rep. Ellison used this very Koran during his swearing-in ceremony in 2007.

Suggesting that Ellison’s at odds with what America stands for is not only inaccurate, but irresponsible. Let West know that there’s no place for anti-Islamic rhetoric and xenophobia in American public discourse.

 

 

Recent Signatures

Apologize for Remarks About Rep. Ellison and Islam

Greetings,

Did you know that, when Thomas Jefferson and James Madison composed the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom, they made sure that the act represented people of all religious beliefs, including “the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahomedan, the Hindoo, and Infidel of every denomination?” America’s founding fathers not only wanted to protect the religious freedoms of Muslims, or Mahomedans, but Jefferson himself owned a Koran. Given this, how could you insinuate that Rep. Keith Ellison is somehow at odds with the principles America was founded on? But that’s not the only time you’ve made disparaging remarks about Islam. You’ve also said that Islam is not a religion and that drivers who have "Co-Exist" bumper stickers put America in jeopardy by supporting the idea that individuals of all faiths can live together in peace.

While Islamic terrorists do pose a threat to the West, it’s irresponsible for you to suggest that law-abiding Muslims in the U.S. are anti-American by virtue of their religion alone. Being a Muslim doesn’t put Rep. Ellison at odds with American principles and those who support religious tolerance aren’t clearing the path for fundamentalists to take away American liberties, as you remarked during a town hall last year. Please apologize for implying that Rep. Ellison is anti-American and that Islam generally is a threat to our nation.

[Your name]

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