Civil liberties group plans letter-writing campaign
Richmond, VA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today criticized Virginia Congressman Virgil H. Goode, Jr. for an email he has been sending to constituents about Muslim Representative Keith Ellison’s declaration that he would use the Koran, rather than the Bible, when being sworn into Congress next month. Ellison is a newly elected representative from Minnesota.
In the email Goode writes in part:
The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran…I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America and to prevent our resources from being swamped.
“In this nation, Congressman Goode is free to express his opinion on the Muslim religion,” said ACLU of Virginia executive director Kent Willis, “but it is important that he know how disturbingly and shamefully out of step he is with the fundamental principles of religious tolerance and equality that have guided this nation since its inception.”
“We hope that thousands of people of every religious persuasion will call or write Congressman Goode to tell him what they think of his religious bigotry,” added Willis. “At the very least he owes an apology to every person of the Muslim faith living in the United States.”
The ACLU is beginning its campaign by contacting its members in Virginia and asking them to express their opposition to Goode’s views on the Muslim religion.
Goode’s email was apparently written to respond to emails from constituents who wrote about Ellison’s announcement. One of the recipients, however, was John Cruickshank, who had not written about the Ellison issue. Cruickshank circulated the email and Goode has since verified that he wrote it.
According to the C-ville Weekly, Goode said, through his press secretary, “I wrote the letter. I think it speaks for itself.”
The full text of Goode’s email follows this release.
Contact: Kent Willis (w) 804/644-8022
