clinton clark islamophobia letter
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Progressive organizations sent a letter to Hillary for America urging the campaign to “immediately remove Gen. Clark from his role in your campaign, and promise to do the same with any campaign surrogates caught aiding and abetting the dangerous anti-Muslim mob mentality fostered by your opponents.”The letter was sent on by CREDO Action, ColorOfChange.org, MPower Change, Emerge USA, Bend the Arc, Demand Progress, American Family Voices, We Act Radio, Presente.org, Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, and the Muslim American Society of Boston.TRANSCRIPT
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December 9, 2015 Hillary for America Post Office Box 5256 New York, NY 10185-5256 Dear Secretary Clinton: National leaders must actively disavow the dangerous anti-Muslim fearmongering that has reached a fever pitch in recent days. Such phobia goes against the very grain of American values of inclusion, diversity, and freedom of religion, and puts all of us at greater risk. We appreciate that you forcefully condemned the proposal put forward by Donald Trump to ban any Muslims from entering the United States — but we are concerned that your campaign is sending mixed messages when it comes to Islamophobia. Just months ago, one of your prominent campaign surrogates, Gen. Wesley Clark, called for the internment of some American Muslims. We call on you to make clear that you find such extreme proposals unacceptable by immediately removing Gen. Clark from his role as a surrogate for your campaign. This type of hateful and reckless rhetoric — spread mainly by the GOP — has direct and predictable effects. This week, in New York City alone, a shop owner was brutally beaten by a man claiming he wanted to “kill all Muslims,” and sixth-grade girl was attacked by classmates who tore at her hijab and called her “ISIS.” These are just the latest in a series of hate crimes against Muslims that have been on the rise since the Paris attacks three weeks ago. At a time when American Muslims are facing a surge in violent hate crimes, we are asking you to hold your own campaign accountable. We are not aware of any statement from your campaign condemning Gen. Clark’s frightening remarks. Furthermore, Gen. Clark has continued to serve as your surrogate in Iowa. Just four days after the attacks in Paris, which unleashed a new round of Islamophobia here at home, you lauded Gen. Clark’s endorsement on your Facebook page and in an email to your supporters. When Roanoke, Virginia Mayor David Bowers released a statement suspending Syrian refugee resettlement in the area, and favorably likened his proposal to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, your campaign did the right thing at the time by immediately removing Mayor Bowers from your Virginia Leadership Council. Now we call on you to similarly disassociate yourself from Gen. Clark. We write just days after the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, mindful of the moral stain on our nation that is the history of Japanese-American internment camps, to insist that you
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demonstrate your willingness to lead by example. Mr. Trump recently refused to say whether he
would have created Japanese internment camps during World War II. Anything less than a
crystal clear contrast with such fear-mongering will only fuel more hate crimes against American
Muslims.
We call upon you as the Democratic frontrunner to not only decry dangerous rhetoric, but to
surround yourself with advisors who respect the basic constitutional rights of every American
and who believe that there is no place for bigotry in national leadership.
Please immediately remove Gen. Clark from his role in your campaign, and promise to do the
same with any campaign surrogates caught aiding and abetting the dangerous anti-Muslim mob
mentality fostered by your opponents.
Respectfully, and on behalf of our members,
CREDO Action
ColorOfChange.org
MPower Change
Emerge USA
Bend the Arc
Demand Progress
American Family Voices
We Act Radio
Presente.org
Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center
Muslim American Society of Boston