We seek to take a stance in defense of religious freedom, condemn ugly statements against Chaplain Rajan Zed (a Hindu who gave the July 12, 2007 invocation at the U.S. Senate) and U.S. Keith Ellison (the first Muslim elected to the House of Representatives), and call for a peaceful and productive dialogue among all religious groups.
We the undersigned would like to call your attention to the recent statement by Representative William Sali of Idaho regarding the recent Senate invocation by Rajan Zed, the election of Representative Keith Ellison, and the Founding Fathers views on freedom of religion:
"We have not only a Hindu prayer being offered in the Senate, we have a Muslim member of the House of Representatives now, Keith Ellison from Minnesota. Those are changes -- and they are not what was envisioned by the Founding Fathers".
I beseech you, as my Congressional representatives, to unite and inform Representative Sali, in writing, that the views of the Founding Fathers can be found in the U.S. Constitution, and that his statement is in direct contradiction to the U.S. Constitution he has sworn to uphold, which reads:
Bill of Rights - Amendment I, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Additionally Article VI, paragraph 3, states: "[N]o religious Test shall be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."
The idea that adherence to a certain religion should be a requirement of eligibility to hold governmental office is completely contrary to the fundamental core American values on which our Nation was established. Please take a stand against this gross rewriting of history; don%u2019t let us forget that America was founded on the idea of freedom of religion.
Sincerely,
