Statement from American Religious Leaders in Response to 'Obsession'

October 6, 2008

We, the undersigned religious leaders, representing a wide spectrum of theological beliefs and political persuasions, have come together in moral consensus to voice our deep concern over the recent distribution of a deeply divisive and anger-provoking DVD called "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" to residents across the United States.

The singular impact of this DVD is not to fight our common threat of terrorism, but to mischaracterize Islam in a way that de-humanizes Muslims.

Unfortunately, 28 million copies of the DVD were distributed in 12 electoral "swing states" by 70 newspapers as a paid advertisement. This is a testament to how widely acceptable anti-Muslim prejudice has become in our country. If these same publications had distributed a film portraying the Ku Klux Klan's views as common to all Christians, the outrage would have been immediate and overwhelming.

We do not pretend to know the goals of those who distributed this DVD. We do know, however, that the distribution and content of this DVD is absolutely inconsistent with what it means to be fair-minded Americans. Invoking fear and hatred in American voters is not the way to address the real problems of extremism and terrorism that our nation faces.

"Obsession" serves as a divisive political ploy that undermines the integrity of American religious pluralism. Indeed, it is the duty of every American to stand against those who would divide our common and cherished beliefs by inciting fear and furthering ignorant stereotypes.

We invite those who distributed this DVD to engage us in a conversation about what it means to be a believing American, and how our beliefs about how we treat each other, across deep differences, is the best way to confront and defeat extremism and terrorism.

We are determined to lead our communities in the effort to foster mutual understanding, to stand firm against the tide of bigotry, and protect American pluralism. As for the rest of America, please stand with us, determined in your conviction to lead our communities toward mutual understanding while protecting and promoting the security of the United States and its precious pluralism.

To sign onto this statement, please email communications@mpac.org with your full name, title, affiliation and contact information.

Signatories (in alphabetical order):

Dr. Hossin Abdeldayem
NASA

Abdur-Rahman
Chairman
Islamic Center of East Bay (Antioch, CA)

Omar Alfi, M.D.
Alfi Stem Cell Research & Education Foundation

Salam Al-Marayati
Executive Director
Muslim Public Affairs Council

Ambassador J. Brady Anderson
Former Administrator of USAID

Tahir Anwar
Imam & Director of Religious Services
Islamic Center of San Jose (CA)

Rabbi Raphael W. Asher
Congregation B'nai Tikvah (Walnut Creek, CA)

Abdul Cader Asmal
Past President
Islamic Council of New England

Nihad Awad
Executive Director
Council on American-Islamic Relations

Rector Edwin J. Bacon
All Saints Church, Pasadena (CA)

Rev. Diane Baker
Chaplain with Hospice, Minister of Outreach, First Community Church, Congregational -UCC (Dallas, TX)

Rabbi Leonard I. Beerman
Leo Baeck Temple, Los Angeles

Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak
JewsOnFirst.org

Rabbi Phyllis Berman
Executive Director
Riverside Language Program (NY)

Patricia Blair
Friends of Sabeel Hawaii (Kailua, HI)

Rev. Brian E. Brandt
Central Lutheran Church (Portland, OR)

Rev. Kathleen E. Brennan
Pastor, Hope Lutheran Church (Springtown, TX)

Dr. James Buchanan
Director, The Edward B. Brueggeman Center for Dialogue
Xavier University (Cincinnati, OH)

Dr. Les Buhite

University of Pittsburgh at Bradford

Rev. Richard R. Bunce
President
Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace

Rev. Michael Carson
Pastor
Queen of Apostles Catholic Church (San Jose, CA)

Rev. Paul Chaffee
Founding Executive Director
Interfaith Center at the Presidio (San Francisco, CA)

Rev. Jan Chase
Minister
Unity Church of Pomona (CA)

Dr. Alla Ditta Choudary
Professor Emeritus
Central Washington University

Rev. Wayne Christiansen
Pastor
Faith Lutheran Church (Canoga Park, CA)

Rev. Albert G. Cohen
Southern California Ecumenical Council

Vic Compher
Co-Founder
Philadelphia Interfaith Walk for Peace and Reconciliation

Rev. Jim Conn
Director of New Ministries
California-Pacific Annual Conference
United Methodist Church (Santa Monica, CA)

Rev. Ben Daniel
Pastor
Foothill Presbyterian Church (San Jose, CA)

Dr. Abdul Mawgoud R. Dardery
Ex-President, Islamic Center of Pittsburgh.
Professor, South Valley University (MN)

Rev. Kristi Denham
Pastor
Congregational Church of Belmont (CA)

Marie Dennis
Co-President
Pax Christi USA: National Catholic Peace Movement

Rev. Dr. Thomas A. Duke
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Convener of St. Paul Interfaith Network (St. Paul, MN)
Former Executive Director, Saint Paul Area Council of Churches

Debrah Dwork
Rose Professor of Holocaust History
Director, Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Clark University (Worcester, MA)

Grace R. Dyrness
Consulting Director
Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace

Diana L. Eck
Director
The Pluralism Project
Harvard University

Rabbi Amy Eilberg
St. Paul Interfaith Network (MN)

Maha Elgenaidi
President
Islamic Networks Group

Rev. Michael Patrick Ellard
Senior Pastor
The Metropolitan Community Church of San Jose (CA)

David Ensign
Pastor
Clarendon Presbyterian Church (Arlington, VA)

Dr. John Esposito
Director
Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding
Georgetown University

Priscilla Fairbank
Member
Fellowship of Reconciliation

Dr. Ronald L. Farmer
Dean, Wallace All Faiths Chapel
Chapman University (Orange, CA)

Rabbi Tirzah Firestone
Congregation Nevei Kodesh (Boulder, Colorado)

Rev. Elena Kanti Fritchle
Minister, Youth Spiritual Education Manager
Center for Spiritual Enlightenment

Bishop Steve Gilliland
Director of Muslim Relations, Southern California
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Rabbi Marc Gopin
Director
Center on Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution
George Mason University

Rev. Dr. Larry L. Greenfield
Executive Minister
American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago

Laurel Siegel Gord
Member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)

Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord
Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Concerns
Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles

Pastor Joel Hunter
Senior Pastor, Northland Church (Longwood, FL)
Board Member, National Association of Evangelicals

Joan Haan
Board of Directors
Every Church a Peace Church

Sarah Harder
President
National Peace Foundation (Washington, DC)

Raymond G. Helmick, S.J.
Instructor in Conflict Resolution
Department of Theology, Boston College

Sister Margaret Hoffman
Communications Director
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur of California

Dr. Qamar-ul Huda
Senior Program Officer
United States Institute of Peace

Rev. Leonard B. Jackson
Senior Advisor
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa

Rabbi Steven B. Jacobs
Founder
Progressive Faith Foundation

Rev. Jill E. James
Central Lutheran Church (Portland, OR)

Berget Jelane
Chaplain
Buddhist Vipassana San Jose (CA)

Mark C. Johnson
Executive Director
The Fellowship of Reconciliation

Rev. Dr. Alan Jones
Campbell United Methodist Church (CA)

M. Bilal Kaleem
Executive Director
Muslim American Society of Boston

Nayela Keen, MD
University of California at San Francisco

Rev. D. Andrew Kille, Ph.D.
Director
Interfaith Space (San Jose, CA)

Rev. Maha Candana Karuna (Sande Simpson)
International Buddhist Meditation Center
Buddhist Peace Fellowship - Los Angeles

M. Riaz Khan
Co-chair, Interfaith Committee
Islamic Council of New England

Frank C. Kiehne
Former Executive Director, International Division of the YMCA of the USA
Secretary for Refugees, World Alliance of YMCAs (Geneva)

Rabbi Allen Krause

Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Beth El

Aliso Viejo, CA

Rev. Peter Laarman
Executive Director
Progressive Christians Uniting

Mary Lahaj
Muslim Chaplain
Simmons College (Boston, MA)

Rev. Chip Barker Larrimore
Rector
St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Redwood City, CA)

William E. Lesher
President Emeritus
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

Rabbi Mordechai Liebling
Board Member
Shalom Center (Philadelphia, PA)

Dr. Ramsis G. Lutfy
University Professor (Ret.) (HI)

Imam Mohamed Magid
All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS Center)
Sterling, VA

Dr. Inayat Malik
President, Islamic Educational Council
Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati

Dr. Ingrid Mattson
President
Islamic Society of North America

Jessica Kate Meyer
Rabbinical student
Hebrew College (Boston, MA)

Dr. Robin R. Meyers
Senior Minister
Mayflower United Church of Christ Church (Oklahoma City, OK)
Professor of Rhetoric, Oklahoma City University

Rev. Thomas Michel, S.J.
Woodstock Theological Center
Georgetown University

Rt. Rev. Rosamonde Miller
Presiding Bishop
The Church of Gnosis (Mountain View, CA)

Douglas E. Mirell, Esq.
President
Progressive Jewish Alliance

Rev. Dr. Randle R. Mixon
Pastor, First Baptist Church (Palo Alto, CA)
Chair, Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations Committee, Alliance of Baptists

Jehan E. Morsi
President, Project Nur
George Washington University

Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid
Chair
Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago

Sheila Musaji
Editor
The American Muslim

Rev. Janet M. Cooper Nelson
Chaplain of the University
Brown University

Rev. Ellen Grace O'Brian
Spiritual Director
Center for Spiritual Enlightenment (San Jose, CA)

Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones
Senior Minister
First Unitarian Church of San Jose (CA)

Dr. Eboo Patel
Founder and Executive Director
Interfaith Youth Core

Jamil Omar Popatia
Islamic Speakers Bureau (Vancouver, Canada)

Jane Ramsey
Executive Director
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (Chicago, IL)

Rev. George Regas
Rector Emeritus
All Saints Church (Pasadena, CA)

Rev. Barbara Grace Ripple
Clergy
United Methodist (Aiea, HI)

David A. Robinson
Executive Director
Pax Christi USA: National Catholic Peace Movement

Rev. Dr. Rick Schlosser
Executive Director
California Council of Churches
California Church IMPACT

Fr. Joseph Scott, C.S.P.
Associate Pastor
St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church

Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller
UCLA

Chris Seiple
President
Institute for Global Engagement

Rabbi Gerald Serotta
Shirat HaNefesh (Silver Spring, MD)

Jafar Siddiqui
American Muslims of Puget Sound (Lynnwood, WA)

Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith
Ecumenical & Interreligious Officer
Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Rev. Dr. David Spence
Editor
Plurality Calendar

Rev. Amber Sturgess
St. George's Episcopal Church (Antioch, CA)

Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed
National Director of Interfaith & Community Alliances
Islamic Society of North America

Rev. Robert V. Thompson
Lake Street Church of Evanston (IL)

Rev. Paul A. Tidemann
Pastor
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (St. Paul, MN)

Rev. Dr. Robert W. Tobin
Former Rector, Christ Church Cambridge (Sunset, ME)

Rev. Frank P. Toia, Episcopal Priest
Co-founder of Bridge to Justice (Lansdale, PA)

Jihad Turk
Director of Religious Affairs
Islamic Center of Southern California

Rabbi Brian Walt
Rabbis for Human Rights - North America (West Tisbury, MA)

Rev. John W. Wimberly, Jr.
Pastor, Western Presbyterian Church (Washington, D.C.)

Rev. Sandra Yarlott
United Church of Christ (Santa Monica, CA)

Kamal Yassin
President, St. Louis Chapter
Council on American-Islamic Relations

S. Reshma Yunus
Executive Director
SEMAH Inc, An Interfaith Domestic Violence Prevention Organization