Indiana's second-highest elected official, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, recently used his public platform to declare "I hate Islam, it's a demonic death cult" — and then doubled down, saying he wants all Muslims to convert to Christianity. These aren't offhand remarks. Beckwith made them on a nationally streamed show, called on people to give themselves "permission to hate again," and has refused to apologize.

This is not acceptable from someone sworn to serve all Hoosiers — including the hundreds of thousands of Muslim Americans who live, work, and worship across Indiana.

The stakes are real. A mosque in San Diego was attacked just weeks before Beckwith's comments. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) warned that when a high-ranking official signals it's okay to hate Muslims, it "opens up the possibility of violence against our communities." When people in power dehumanize a religious group, history shows that real harm follows.

This isn't a partisan issue. Indiana Republican Sen. Spencer Deery publicly condemned Beckwith, writing: "The United States has traditionally been — and must always remain — the most welcoming nation in the world for the free exercise of religion. Rhetoric like this from the second-highest official in Indiana's executive branch makes the first impossible and threatens America's standing in the second."

Religious freedom is a founding American value. It means every person — Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, or of any other faith — has the right to worship without being targeted by their own government.

We are calling on Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith to immediately retract his anti-Muslim statements, accept CAIR's invitation to visit an Indiana mosque, and publicly affirm that every Hoosier deserves to be treated with dignity — regardless of their religion.

We are also calling on Gov. Mike Braun and the Indiana General Assembly to hold Lt. Gov. Beckwith accountable. Elected officials who use the power of their office to promote religious hatred must face real consequences. Indiana deserves leadership that protects all of its people — not one that invites them to hate their neighbors.

Sign this petition to defend religious freedom and demand accountability.