Confronting the Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump’s proposal to ban Muslim immigration, a group of House Democrats introduced legislation to forestall materialization of a plan that may deny someone entry into the country on the basis of their religion.
The Freedom of Religion Act seeks to “prohibit the use of religious litmus tests as a means to ban immigrants, refugees, and international visitors trying to enter the United States.”
Accompanied by supporters of the move, Representative Don Beyer, architect of the legislation, said on the Capitol Hill that religious freedom is enshrined in the American Constitution.
“We cannot allow fear and paranoia to drive our public policy, especially when it comes to the defining values of our country,”he said, as after an unusual primary rivalry the US headed to a heated presidential election contest, which is likely to pitch Democratic Hillary Clinton and Republican Trump against each other.
“Our Founding Fathers guaranteed religious freedom for all in the First Amendment to our Constitution. People all around the world look to us as the standard for freedom, liberty, and tolerance,” the Congressman added.
The introduction of the legislation in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives coincides with Trump’s arrival in Washington, during which he had a series of meetings including with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has so far declined to back the billionaire tycoon as the Party’s candidate for November 8 election. After San Bernardino killings, Trump had proposed a “total and complete” ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Beyer’s office said the move is a response to “political rhetoric vilifying select religious groups and increasingly hostile rhetoric toward religious freedom in the immigration system.”
Other main proponents of the Bill include Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Keith Ellison (MN), Joe Crowley (NY), Jan Schakowsky (IL), Mike Honda (CA), Betty McCollum (MN) and André Carson (ID).
According to ABC News, Republican Richard Hanna, has joined the group of more than
70 Democrats in supporting the bill. The New York, lawmaker has declared that he won’t support Trump even if the business tycoon secures the GOP nomination.
However, it is unclear as to how many other Conservatives might back the measure in an election year, when the Trump and GOP leaders are trying to unify the part and rally behind one candidate in the presidential candidate.
Virginia Congressman Beyer said “the first Americans often were refugees from religion oppression,” said Norton. “Many come today for the same reason. We betray our first principles when religion becomes a qualification for entry or exclusion from the United States.”
“Our country is built on religious tolerance and the freedom to worship. When presidential candidates talk about closing our borders to people of a certain faith, they aren’t just being prejudiced – they’re being un-American. This bill will uphold our core values by guaranteeing that religion isn’t used to decide who can enter the country. The inscription on the Statue of Liberty reads: ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” It doesn’t say anything about a person’s faith,” said Rep. Keith Ellison.
“This bill is about the very foundation our nation was built on, and that’s religious freedom,” said Rep. Crowley, Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus. “Unfortunately, the rhetoric we’ve heard over the past year or so has not only greatly affected our national discourse, it has fanned the flames of hate and hurt innocent families. I’m proud to join Congressman Beyer and my colleagues on this legislation – we must ensure that the United States will continue to remain a model for religious tolerance and freedom.”
The occasion also marked interfaith harmony as Yasmine Taeb, the Legislative Representative for Human Rights & Civil Liberties at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, Director at Bend the Arc Jewish Action, Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Lawrence Couch, Director of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Rabbi Jack Moline, president of Interfaith Alliance, hailed the legislative step.
