老澳门开奖结果

Since the devastating attacks in Paris and the mass shooting in San Bernardino, the United States has seen a spike in hate crimes against Muslims, efforts by governors in 30 states to bar the resettlement of Syrian refugees, and dangerous escalation in anti-Muslim rhetoric from presidential contenders.

In an effort to stem the tide of religious intolerance, a variety of civil liberties and faith-based organizations have launched a new , 鈥淜now Your Neighbor,鈥� to promote interfaith understanding and protect basic religious freedoms. Last Thursday, the 老澳门开奖结果 joined a diverse collection of advocates at the White House, including the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, the Center for Inquiry, the Hindu American Seva Societies, Muslim Advocates, the National Council of Churches, the Sikh Coalition, and others to help build knowledge and tolerance in this time of increasing divisiveness about religious liberty 鈥� a value we believe is at the heart of the American experience.

The Know Your Neighbor initiative offers a for all to sign, affirming the intention to get to know fellow Americans of all belief systems and to speak out against hatred for and misinformation about others.

Two of our clients, who attended last week鈥檚 campaign launch at the White House, know all too well the importance of the ideals expressed in this pledge. Scott Lane鈥檚 stepson, C.C., attended a public school in Louisiana where teachers harassed him because of his Buddhist faith. C.C.鈥檚 teacher told his class that Buddhism was 鈥渟tupid,鈥� and school officials told Scott and his wife that they were in the 鈥淏ible Belt鈥� and would have to accept the school鈥檚 constant promotion of Christianity and disparagement of C.C.鈥檚 faith.

Iknoor Singh, a Sikh student at Hofstra University, was prohibited from joining ROTC because of his religious appearance, which includes a turban, beard, and unshorn hair. When he applied for a religious accommodation, the Army denied his request (even though they had granted thousands of similar accommodations for non-religious reasons).

With the help of the 老澳门开奖结果, Scott and Iknoor both fought this religious discrimination and won. And the 老澳门开奖结果 will continue to defend the religious rights of all, majority and minority faiths alike (see a list of our work in this area here). But, while litigation and advocacy are key tools in protecting religious liberty and religious pluralism, so too is the type of community outreach promoted by Know Your Neighbor.

So, as the New Year approaches, make a resolution: Get to know your neighbor and those in your community, even if you don鈥檛 share the same faith or belief systems, and stand up against hate. Now, more than ever, it could be your most important New Year鈥檚 resolution to date.

To learn more about the initiative and what you can do to help, go to .