Following recent remarks made by presidential hopeful Dr. Ben Carson that he “would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” The Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council (GKCIC) would like to remind the greater Kansas City area that we stand in solidarity with our Muslim friends, and are deeply saddened by these xenophobic and anti-Muslim statements.
Dr. Carson’s remarks are not an isolated sentiment. Another presidential candidate Donald Trump also recently refused to rebuke or correct a supporter at a town hall meeting who said “We have a problem in this country. It’s called Muslims… How do we get rid of them?” These incidents remind us of the urgent need for more education and engagement about world religions and culture in the Greater Kansas City area to dispel lack of understanding and bring an end to divisive rhetoric.
Today, we invite you to join the GKCIC in focusing our words, thoughts and deeds on promoting peace, inclusion and acceptance. Art Chaudry, GKCIC Community Advisor, reminds us, “We must stand united against hate speech. The foundation of interfaith dialogue is advocacy of tolerance and an embrace of diversity. We need to be strong against efforts to marginalize and paint a whole community with a broad brush of stereotyping and negativity. Let’s do the right thing in standing firm against Islamophobia.”
Barb McAtee, Baha’i Faith Director of the Interfaith Council, says, “It is hurtful, anti-American, divisive, and should not be part of political debate.” Ms. McAtee further cautions that “…media who give airtime to these speakers and their hateful rhetoric are simply contributing to the problem.”
The Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council celebrates the gifts of religious pluralism in our city because it is a celebration of the interconnectedness of all life. Whatever our individual faith traditions, we simply can’t imagine being separate… We can’t imagine our lives without each other. We are growing a sustainable, pervasive culture of knowledge, respect, appreciation, and trust amongst people of all faiths and religious traditions in the greater Kansas City community.