NEW YORK (Press Release)–Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, condemned “the hateful anti-Muslim language of Oklahoma State Representative John Bennett,” in a statement by Bend the Arc CEO Stosh Cotler:
“It is deeply disturbing when anyone refers to a group of people as a ‘cancer,’ especially when that person is a public official,” Cotler said. “While these words should raise the hairs on the back of anyone’s neck, Jews are acutely sensitive to language like this, as it was just two generations ago that Hitler described German Jews as a ‘cancer.’
“Rep. John Bennett’s language has betrayed the fear and hatred in his own heart. Muslims make up less than one percent of America’s population. They, like Jews, are a religious minority who need to be respected and protected. It’s up to the rest of us to reject ignorant hate speech and make clear that we believe in an America that is an inclusive, diverse, and tolerant democracy.”
Guided by shared values of treating others with dignity and respect, Bend the Arc has worked closely with the Muslim Public Affairs Council to advance policies that hold America to its ideals of justice and inclusion. The groups organized an interfaith fast for comprehensive immigration reform last winter.
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Preceding provided by Bend the Arc
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