Politics, religion and ignorance — an unhealthy mix

Politics, religion and ignorance — an unhealthy mix
By Hussam Ayloush
IFN Guest Columnist
Thursday, 11 February 2010

Lancaster, a growing city of 145,000 people just north of Los Angeles, recently became embroiled in a heated religious controversy after its mayor called for actively cultivating a Christian city and a member of its city council wrote bigoted anti-Islam comments in an online post.

During his official State of the City address, Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris said his city was “growing a Christian community” while the PowerPoint display behind him showed a large Christian cross and the phrase “2010 Growing a Christian Community.”

He also used the speech to promote a ballot measure that would ratify the city council’s ongoing practice of inviting clergy who mostly invoke the name of Jesus Christ before city council sessions.

Last week, Lancaster City Councilwoman Sherry Marquez posted a short rant on Facebook saying “the Muslim religion is all about ... beheadings, honor killings ... they don’t even blink at killing their own wives/daughters, because they are justified by their religion ...”

In response to these two incidents, CAIR-LA, along with other interfaith and civic leaders, decried the councilwoman’s remarks and asked her to meet with members of the American Muslim community in order to begin to understand how inaccurate her comments were and to gain some understanding of the true beliefs of the constituents she seems to disdain.

Later, CAIR-LA sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice calling for an investigation into a possible violation of the Constitution’s Establishment Clause by Mayor Parris.

The Antelope Valley Human Relations Task Force called for an emergency meeting to investigate the remarks by both elected officials as possible hate incidents and to collect information from individuals who may have been adversely affected by those remarks.

What we are witnessing in Lancaster is an unhealthy mix of politics, religion and ignorance. This controversy needs special attention and a long-term remedy.

The issue here is not freedom of speech or freedom of religion. Both these rights are ones I cherish dearly and pledge to defend for every American, including individuals I may completely disagree with.

In the mayor’s case, the issue of concern to me and many other people of various beliefs is simply the upholding of our constitutional principle of separation of church and state, and maintaining the values of inclusiveness and fair treatment.

Parris is an official elected to public office serving Americans of diverse faith backgrounds. He is required to honor and uphold our Constitution. It is that simple.

As an elected official speaking in his official capacity at an event paid for by the city, the mayor must not promote a particular religion — a news story reported that Parris is now offering to reimburse the city for its cost of putting on the event.

In fact, no elected official should be in the business of promoting or favoring a specific religion in his/her official capacity. I would not agree with any mayor, senator, president or elected official in our country using public or elected office to advance the Muslim faith or any other religion. How would residents and citizens of other faiths feel if this happened?

We have a secular government and a pluralistic nation whose Constitution respects the practice of religion, or lack of it for those who choose. Pastors, imams, rabbis and all private citizens are welcome to work on building and promoting any religious community they wish, but our government and its officials must not.

As a person of faith, I strongly value the important positive role that religion, including Christianity, plays in benefiting society. Equally valuable is the parallel and separate role our government and Constitution play.

Being pro-Constitution is not equivalent to being anti-religion, anti-Muslim or anti-Christian.

Our nation and its citizens have thrived for more than 200 years on the Establishment Clause, which mandates that the government will not establish any official religion. The Establishment Clause has allowed all religions to be treated equally and to flourish and contribute to society.

This principle is expressly affirmed by the Supreme Court’s rulings that have fashioned two separate spheres for religion and government, and have explicitly established the government’s neutrality on religion.

Our purpose in filing the DOJ complaint is not to undermine the important positive role that religions, including Christianity, play in benefiting society, but rather to protect religious freedom and ensure that Lancaster and its elected officials abide by the same constitutional separation of church and state as the entire nation.

The city of Lancaster and other public and religious leaders have a critical job now — to take appropriate measures to ensure a secular and inclusive government representative of all residents.

Hussam Ayloush is the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Greater Los Angeles Area.

Mayor Parris apologizes for religious remark

Mayor Parris apologizes for religious remark

LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) -- Recent comments by the mayor of Lancaster have generated a religious controversy. An Islamic group claims the mayor improperly used his office to promote Christianity.

The mayor met with local religious leaders Monday and apologizes for his remarks.

In a state of the city address a few weeks ago, Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris described the city as a Christian community.

"We are a growing Christian community and don't let anybody shy away from that. I need Lancaster residents standing up and saying we are a Christian community and we're proud of it," he said in his speech.

His comments drew strong reactions from religious groups in the Antelope Valley.

Some say that they think the mayor's remarks excluded non Christians.

Monday afternoon at Lancaster's City Hall, Parris along with many religious leaders supporting him, gathered to clear the air. Parris apologized for his remarks and said he wanted to clarify what he meant.

"I think that communities are robust and vibrant when we do everything we can to facilitate all churches, all religions, all faiths to have a robust, vital part of that community," said Parris...

The Council on Islamic American Relations, a Muslim civil rights group, indicated that it plans to file a complaint with the Department of Justice, but the complaint has not been filed yet. The mayor is running for election this year.

(Copyright ©2010 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

Lancaster mayor in spotlight (Contra Costa Times)

By Kevin Modesti
Contra Costa Times
02/05/2010

An American Muslim group said Friday it has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to look into Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris' remark last week that the city is "growing a Christian community."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations' Los Angeles-area office said in a statement that Parris' comment in support of a municipal ballot measure endorsing prayers at city meetings is a "possible violation" of the Constitution's First Amendment restrictions on laws regarding religion.

CAIR said the letter from executive director Hussam Ayloush to the Department of Justice also alludes to last week's comment on Facebook by Lancaster City Councilwoman Sherry Marquez that beheadings are what Muslims "are all about."

Alyoush said in a statement the complaint is not intended "to undermine the important role that religion, including Christianity, plays in benefiting society but rather to ensure that the City of Lancaster and its officials abide by the same Constitutional separation of church and state that the entire nation abides by."

CAIR's announcement came two days after an anti-hate-crime group called the Antelope Valley Human Relations Task Force said it will hold a hearing Monday to discuss whether the Parris and Marquez remarks constitute "hate incidents."

In an interview Friday, Parris called the groups' actions "outrageous" and said again that his comment was misrepresented, and that it reflected his opinion, not city policy.

"I certainly did not mean to make anybody feel excluded," Parris said. "To anybody who was truly offended, I apologize to them. But I don't regret making the statement."

L.A. Times: Lancaster mayor comes under fire from Muslim organization

Los Angeles Times
February 5, 2010

A Muslim advocacy organization is requesting a Department of Justice investigation into whether comments made by Lancaster’s mayor were unconstitutional.

In his State of the City address last week, Mayor R. Rex Parris said Lancaster was “growing a Christian community.”

"And don't let anybody shy away from that,” he said to an audience of ministers. “I need [Lancaster residents] standing up and saying we're a Christian community, and we're proud of that."

The Greater Los Angeles area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations sent a letter Friday to the department requesting an investigation into whether Parris’ comments violated the Constitution’s Establishment Clause, which bans the government from supporting or endorsing a religion.

"The divisive statement made by the mayor, when analyzed in context of other recent developments, represents a disturbing pattern by the city of Lancaster," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR-LA.

Parris said he stands by his comments.

A spokesman for the Department of Justice wouldn’t comment on whether it had received the letter or whether other groups have complained about the mayor’s comments.

Complaints like the council's are “reviewed to determine what action, if any, is appropriate,” said Alejandro Miyar, a department spokesman.

-- Raja Abdulrahim

Muslim group seeks govt probe of mayor's remarks

The Washington Post
The Associated Press

Friday, February 5, 2010

LANCASTER, Calif. -- A Muslim group filed a federal civil rights complaint Friday after a Southern California mayor remarked that he was "growing a Christian community" in a state of the city address last week.

In a letter to the U.S. Justice Department, the Council on American-Islamic Relations claimed Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris violated the civil rights of non-Christians and shouldn't have used his official capacity at a city event to advance a particular religion.

The civil rights group also said Parris referred to an April ballot measure that would endorse prayer at city meetings without restricting its content, including references to Jesus Christ, as a way to "validate a Christian stance."

Such a mixing of church and state is "unhealthy, unconstitutional and very divisive," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR in greater Los Angeles.

"The role of any faith, of religion in general, is needed as much as the role of government... Our concern is when the wall of separation is blurred," said Ayloush, whose letter requested a Justice Department investigation.

Parris, who was elected mayor in 2008, said he made the comment in a speech to Christian ministers at an event he paid for and thought it was appropriate. He said he was sorry if anyone was hurt by the remark, which was not his intent.

"I think it is totally ludicrous," Parris said Friday. "Something very dangerous is happening in America when a profession of your faith can end up in actual government hearings.

"All of us get to express our opinion wherever, whenever we want to, including opinions of faith, and that is what I did and that is what I will continue to do."

The controversy follows an uproar in the bedroom community about 40 miles north of Los Angeles about anti-Muslim remarks posted by a city councilwoman on her Facebook social networking page.

Muslim community leaders criticized Lancaster Councilwoman Sherry Marquez for a posting about the 2008 beheading of Aasiya Hassan in New York that reportedly read "this is what the Muslim religion is all about." Marquez apologized for the effect her comments had on the city at a recent City Council meeting.

Mayor denounced for saying Lancaster is 'growing a Christian community'

Los Angeles Times
January 31, 2010

Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris drew criticism from a leading Muslim group today after saying in his annual State of the City address that the high desert town was “growing a Christian community.”

"We're growing a Christian community, and don't let anybody shy away from that,” Parris told the audience of ministers gathered for his address.

“I need [Lancaster residents] standing up and saying we're a Christian community, and we're proud of that," the mayor said.

The Greater Los Angeles area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations denounced the statement and said it plans to file a complaint about the mayor's remarks with the civil rights division of the U.S. Justice Department.

“Elected officials should not use their public positions to impose their religious beliefs on others," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of CAIR.

The mayor, reached by telephone today, said his remarks did not intend to impose his faith on others, and he said he would make no apology.

“This is just about very few people wanting to get their 15 minutes of fame,” he said. “I guess they got it.”

-- Garrett Therolf

Citizens call on citycouncil member Marquez to apologize for bigoted comment

Mosque slams Marquez remarks Citizens call for an apology
Citizens call for an apology

Antelope Valley Press
Saturday, January 30, 2010.
By ALLISON GATLIN
http://www.avpress.com/n/30/0130_s1.hts

PALMDALE - More than 50 community leaders and interested citizens gathered Friday at a Palmdale mosque to denounce comments made last week by Lancaster City Councilwoman Sherry Marquez on an Internet social networking site concerning a Muslim man charged with beheading his wife in New York.

At a news conference at the American Islamic Institute of the Antelope Valley, a dozen speakers - including elected officials from the city of Palmdale, the Palmdale and Westside school districts and several candidates for Lancaster city council and mayor - criticized Marquez' comments and issued calls for unity, education and understanding.

"The problem here is there is Islamophobia and there is ignorance," said Dr. Bassem Hadaya, chairman and president of the Islamic Center of the North Valley, a Lancaster mosque.

Representatives of the Muslim community said they want an apology from Marquez and have invited her to meet with them and learn about their religion.

Later Friday, the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it will file a complaint with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice about Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris' comments that he is "growing a Christian community."

"The mayor's remarks promoting a particular faith in his official capacity at an official city event seem to violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Elected officials should not use public positions to impose their religious beliefs on others," said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. "We also call on California's religious and political leaders to repudiate the mayor's remarks because they could serve to marginalize people of other faiths and Christians who value the separation of church and state."

During Tuesday night's City Council meeting, Marquez said she posted the comments in reaction to reading of last year's killing in New York of Aasiya Zubair Hassan, who had filed for divorce from her husband, local television executive Muzzammil Hassan. He has been charged with second-degree murder.

"This is what the Muslim religion is all about the beheadings, honor killings are just the beginning of what is to come in the U.S.A.," Marquez wrote on her Facebook page Jan. 23. The remarks were later deleted.

"We are told this is a small majority of Muslims in America, but it is truly what they are all about," she said. "You disrespect/dishonor them or their religion and you should die. They don't even blink at killing their own wives/daughters because they are justified by their religion."

"I think we need to reset as a community. We need to go back to those values we all share," said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford, citing efforts to build inclusive, welcoming communities in the Antelope Valley.

"It's disheartening when we take a step back and I think we have taken a step back," he said. "When I hear these descriptions of the Muslim community, it's not the Muslim community I know. We seem to be chasing this idea that's unreal."

Affah Shaikh , civil rights manager with CAIR and a Palmdale High School graduate, said Marquez' comments should not represent the Antelope Valley community.

"Growing up here I never experienced such bigotry and such hateful comments as Councilwoman Marquez posted on Facebook," he said. "That's not what I remember the Antelope Valley to be like. I grew up in an environment that was very inclusive. I was treated with respect."

Placing blame for a singular act on an entire community endangers that community, Shaikh said.
"I believe strongly that to blame any person's faith for an act of violence that goes against their religion is wrong," he said.

In his position with CAIR, Shaikh said he deals daily with victims of hate crimes and has seen the damage that inflammatory remarks may cause.

Sanah Burhan , who is Muslim, spoke about her fears that Marquez's remarks could incite violence against people who are already targeted as different due to their dress and names.

"Her remarks cause our children and ourselves to be harassed by people who don't understand our faith," she said. "We are part of this community."

"We are all the same. We are all worshipping God. We are all striving for the best education, best lives, best for humanity here," Burhan said. "We are in the 21st Century. The mind has to grow out of discriminations."

She encouraged Marquez and other non-Muslims to visit the local Islamic centers to learn about Islam.

"You will see for yourself that we do not differ," she said.

The American Islamic Institute of the Antelope Valley has filed a formal complaint with the Antelope Valley Human Relations Task Force regarding Marquez's published comments, task force president Darren Parker said.

The organization will investigate the complaint as a potential hate incident, and plans to take testimony at its next meeting on Feb. 22.

Parker said a larger goal, however, is to try to build a bridge between both sides of the discussion, as extremists on both sides are latching onto the incident and causing others to choose sides.

"We have learned over the last decade that generalizing and stereotyping brings nothing good," Parker said.

Several speakers during Friday's gathering acknowledged the councilwoman's right to her own opinion, but said that as an elected official, she has a responsibility to represent the community as a whole, including its Muslim citizens.

"She can have her own opinion as an individual. She had an oath to protect all the citizens that elected her. Muslims are part of that constituency," said Kamal Al-Khatib , chairman of the American Islamic Institute of the Antelope Valley.

Al-Khatib, for a brief time last year, fell under scrutiny of his own membership in the Human Relations Task Force when gay activists accused Muslims of distributing homophobic literature. Al-Khatib denied the allegations.

On Friday, Palmdale officials joined in the condemnation of the councilwoman's comments.

Elected officials are supposed to represent the entire community, "not to represent our own personal views," said Bo Bynum, a Palmdale School District trustee. "Those things should never come into play as an elected official.

"As a community, we have to continue to come together to battle bigotry, battle prejudice, battle all those evils that harm a community," he said.

"When we hear a disparaging remark made that is not true, we have a responsibility to step up as leaders," Ledford said. "What I care about is the leadership in our Antelope Valley that downplays an incident as if it isn't important."

Ledford also disagreed with the public responses of several Republican officials, such as Drew Mercy, chairman of the GOP's 36th Assembly District Central Committee.

Mercy, who is field aide to state Sen. George Runner, noted that the FBI severed formal ties with the Council on American-Islamic Relations after finding an indirect link with Hamas, a designated terrorist group.

"They don't speak for me," Ledford said of the officials' responses. "I'm a Republican. They don't speak for me. These are not the correct responses we should get out of leaders.

"Here in the Antelope Valley, we are not going to tolerate hate. We are not going to tolerate victimizing people," Ledford said. "We need to stand up as a community and say we are not going to accept that as OK."

"Our Antelope Valley needs to stand together against all types of hate speech, regardless of who is doing the speaking or writing," said Sandy Corrales-Eneix, Palmdale School District trustee. "We can't allow this councilwoman to demean the very vibrant Muslim community I love and respect."