SIGN ON FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, BECAUSE FREEDOM CAN'T PROTECT ITSELF from ACLU 25AUG10

GEORGE Washington said religious freedom isn't granted "by the indulgence of one class of people" it is a fundamental American right. Right now this right, guaranteed in the First Amendment of our Constitution, is under attack by people who believe the civil rights and liberties we enjoy in our Republic belong only to the majority public opinion, the loudest, the strongest. Please sign this petition thanking New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his strong stand defending religious freedom and state your support for the First Amendment.

Dear ACLU Supporter,

Sign the ACLU's "I Stand for Religious Freedom" petition and thank Mayor Bloomberg for his strong stand in defense of religious liberty.

As the debate over a proposed Islamic center in downtown New York City rages on, critics like Sarah Palin have settled on a new argument. Palin says she's "all about religious freedom," but those planning to build the center should just take their plans to exercise that freedom "down the road."

Here's what those fanning the flames of this so-called controversy just don't get: People's constitutional rights aren't subject to Sarah Palin or anyone else deciding where they can be exercised and where they can't.

Speak out now. Join the ACLU and the thousands of Americans who are saying "I Stand for Religious Freedom."

Political leaders like Mayor Michael Bloomberg should be praised for standing up for religious freedom in the face of political pressure. Yet, the voices of prejudice still fill the airwaves.

Especially in times of controversy, we must boldly oppose religious discrimination based on cultural stereotyping—and resist those who seek to trade away our most precious values for political advantage.

Let's be absolutely clear: Our laws protect the right to build a house of worship whether it's a mosque, a church, or a synagogue. And preventing Muslims or any other group from practicing their faith is unconstitutional and un-American.

We must stand up to this demagoguery. Sign the ACLU's "I Stand for Religious Freedom" petition and thank Mayor Bloomberg for his strong stand in defense of religious liberty.

Critics who insist that the proposed Islamic center's location is "insensitive" are implying—consciously or not—that those who would pray at the center are, by virtue of their faith alone, somehow aligned with the terrorists who committed the 9/11 atrocities.

That kind of discrimination is totally inconsistent with religious liberty.

Throughout our nation's history, Jews, Protestants, Catholics and Muslims have all been victims of fear and discrimination. In the end, tolerance and fairness usually prevail. But that only happens when each of us stands up and speaks out clearly for tolerance and justice.

Let's follow the lead of George Washington, who told the nation that religious freedom is not granted "by the indulgence of one class of people"—it is a fundamental American right.

Thank you for speaking out,

Anthony D. Romero Executive Director ACLU

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