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As temperatures rise across the country and the racist rhetoric from the White House becomes more frequent, the times seem especially dark. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we’ll find hope in the midst of darkness as we hear from people working against the bigotry that is all too present today.
Rev. Welton Gaddy, host of State of Belief, will open this week’s show by remembering the late Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who passed away this week, and exploring the rise in racist rhetoric espoused by the Trump administration. The president’s ugly, nativist comments calling for four congresswomen of color to leave the country runs counter to the idea of the United States as a protector of human rights and equality for all.
The president is not the only member of his administration undermining the United States’ long-standing policies of upholding human rights while protecting religious freedom for people of all faiths or no faith. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo proposed a “natural law” commission, the principle aim of which is to limit what is being called a “human rights inflation.” His language is insidious, because the likely real purpose of the commission is to restrict rights and equality for women, LGBTQ persons and religious minorities. Peter Montgomery, senior fellow at People for the American Way, will join Welton this week to discuss the dangerous ramifications of Pompeo’s commission on so-called “natural law.”
State of Belief is a long-lasting outreach initiative from Interfaith Alliance, broadcasting weekly since 2006. While we have highlighted longtime defenders of religious liberty, we have also seen the rise of a new generation of advocates — the most diverse and outspoken in American history. Welton will speak with Interfaith Alliance policy intern Tamanna Amin, who was not even born when the organization was founded 25 years ago this month. Her harrowing story as a Muslim woman and recent immigrant to the United States – landing on our soil the day the Muslim Ban went into effect – is one we all need to hear.