Denver, CO, June 9, 2017…The Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Region is deeply concerned about coordinated anti-Muslim marches that are scheduled to take place in at least 23 cities across the country on June 10, including Denver.

ADL joined more than 120 groups to urge mayors where the rallies are taking place – including Mayor Michael B. Hancock in Denver – to disavow these marches.

The series of bigoted events titled the “March Against Sharia” are being organized by an anti-Muslim organization called ACT for America!, one of the largest anti-Muslim extremist groups in the United States that aggressively promotes stereotypes about Islam and believes that Muslim immigration to the U.S. must end. According to ADL’s Center on Extremism, right-wing extremists are likely to participate in some of the rallies across the country.

ADL Mountain States Regional Director Scott L. Levin made the following statement:

Demonizing all Muslims is a misguided and counterproductive response to the terrorist threat posed by those few extremists motivated by a radical interpretation of Islam. The overwhelming majority of Muslims in America are law-abiding people who are as outraged by terrorism and bigotry as Americans of every other faith.

We extend a hand of friendship and solidarity to our Muslim neighbors at a time when they are being targeted by forces of hate.

The organizers of the marches are focusing, in part, on myths about alleged efforts to impose Sharia law in the United States. There are no examples of court decisions or any other attempts to insert Sharia law into our state and federal judicial and legal systems. Despite this fact, 11 states have adopted “Application of Foreign Law” statutes. The ADL Mountain States Region opposed a bill that was introduced during the 2017 Colorado legislative session that would have established this model statute in our state.

ADL Mountain States Regional Director Scott L. Levin added:

Muslims are not the only religious group that observes religious laws.  Adherents of most denominations of the world’s major religions, including Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs, like Muslims, live by religious laws that that provide a framework for their religious practices that do not interfere with the laws of this country.

Religious freedom in America is the cornerstone for creating a truly pluralistic and welcoming society. From its founding, the United States has aspired to safeguard religious freedom for all. This weekend’s march undermines religious freedom and wrongfully demonizes a segment of our civil society.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

 

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