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New York, NY, June 9, 2017 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed concern over coordinated anti-Muslim marches that are slated to take place in at least twenty states across the country on Saturday, June 10.
ADL joined more than 100 groups to urge Mayors where the rallies are taking place to disavow these marches.
The series of bigoted events titled the “March Against Sharia” are being organized by an anti-Muslim organization called ACT for America!, one of the largest anti-Muslim extremist groups in the United States that aggressively promotes stereotypes about Islam and believes that Muslim immigration to the U.S. must end.
“These marches perpetuate harmful stereotypes about Muslims and could potentially lead to acts of harassment and violence,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “The ideas furthered by these anti-Muslim groups only serve to weaken our communities. We call on the elected officials, community and religious leaders and public figures where these abhorrent events are taking place to disavow them and stand up against hate.”
In a recent poll, ADL found for the first time that a majority of Americans (52 percent) say they are concerned about violence in the U.S. directed at Jews, and an even a higher percentage (76 percent) are concerned about violence directed at Muslims.
According to ADL’s Center on Extremism, right-wing extremists are likely to participate in some of the rallies across the country.
The League has also actively challenged President Trump’s executive order on immigration and refugees, calling the Muslim ban an appeal to xenophobia and fear that is reminiscent of historical anti-immigrant mistakes of our nation’s past.