Interfaith Group Urges Kennesaw City Council To Reverse Mosque Decision

A group made up of people from different faiths drafted a letter to the council (below) criticizing the decision.

An Interfaith Open Letter to the City Council of Kennesaw, Georgia

The organizations and individuals who have signed this letter include Christians, Jews, Muslims, and people of other faiths. We are united in our belief that everyone has the constitutional right to practice their religious faith in the ways they find meaningful. We deplore the action of the Kennesaw City Council in denying Muslims the right to practice their faith in a suite in the Kennesaw Commons shopping center. Comments at the City Council meeting on December 1, and public comments in the media and on Facebook reveal not only bigotry but a profound misunderstanding of the Islamic faith. Like Christianity and Judaism, Islam teaches love for friend and stranger.

We call upon the good citizens of Kennesaw and on the churches, synagogues and mosques to which they belong to stand up for U.S. values of religious freedom and tolerance. Together we can take away the power of fear-based thinking that produces intolerance and which can even lead to violence toward others who are perceived as different from ourselves. We invite you to join us in defining the United States as inclusionary and tolerant, celebrating our differences and commonalities. Join us in rejecting a fear-based worldview that does not speak for every citizen or resident and that denies basic principles and constitutional rights of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion.

We are proud of the relationships we have built with one another as Jews, Christians, Muslims, and others and would encourage others in our communities to do the same.

Signed by:  

Jewish Voice for Peace-Atlanta Chapter

Interfaith Peace Builders-Atlanta Regional network

Fellowship of Reconciliation-Atlanta

Muslims for Progressive Values-Atlanta

The Kairos Mission Group of Oakhurst Baptist Church 

Presbyterian Peacemaking Partnership of Atlanta

Joining Hands for Justice in Israel/Palestine

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)-Georgia

Humanist Fellowship of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta

Students for Justice in Palestine-Georgia State University

Students for Justice in Palestine-Emory University

The Tikkun Olam Committee of Congregation Bet Haverim

LTP Jackson of the National Council of the Fellowship of Reconciliation

Dan Browning, JD, Church Council Chair, Druid Hills United Methodist Church, Atlanta, GA

Elizabeth Corrie, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Candler School of Theology, Emory University

Pamela Duncan, Lay Leader, Druid Hills UMC

Reverend Kimberly S. Jackson, Episcopal Chaplain at the Atlanta University Center (AUC)

Rabbi Joshua Lesser of Congregation Bet Haverim

Maia Hallward Carter, Ph.D., Professor of Middle East Politics

Dr. Sandra Bird, Professor of Art Education at Kennesaw State University

S.M. Ghazanfar, Ph.D.