"Today’s press conference convened by the Milwaukee Muslim community and the Council of American Islamic Relations highlighting the concerns of American Muslims from across our nation raises serious questions about the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s targeting of American Muslims and their attempts to covertly infiltrate Islamic houses of worship around the nation.

"Religious bigotry comes in many forms. The framers of our Constitution truly understood the danger of religious oppression and sought to protect religious and political minorities from government-sanctioned discrimination and harassment.

"Unfortunately, the political manipulation of religion by a minority of extremists among Islam’s estimated 1 billion adherents has given birth to the erroneous Western stereotype that Islam condones terrorism.

"This insidious stereotype has created a culture of fear in which Muslims are now being viewed with suspicion as possible enemies of our nation. These prevalent attitudes are evidenced by the rise of hate-crimes, harassment and employment discrimination directed towards Muslims or perceived-Muslims in our nation.

"Islam’s diverse communities of faith have been a part our nation’s religious landscape since before the founding of our Republic. Today’s estimated six million American Muslims are entitled to the same religious protections as Jews, Christians, Buddhists and those who choose no faith.

"Government-sanctioned targeting based on erroneous stereotypes about Islam undermines the integrity of our civil society, threatens the constitutional principle of religious liberty and the democratic ideals upon which our nation was founded. As a national interfaith organization we call upon our nation’s elected leaders to investigate these serious allegations. Our political leaders have a moral obligation and civic responsibility to ensure the Constitutional rights of all Americans and the religious rights of our nation’s diverse Muslim community."

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