Put an end to this Obsession

On Monday morning, Fellowship of Reconciliation’s Executive Director Mark Johnson joined other interfaith leaders in a press conference in Washington, D.C. to speak out against anti-Muslim prejudice. What precipitated this gathering of major voices was the nationwide distribution last month of 28 million copies of a DVD titled Obsession, which addresses the purported threat of radical Islam in the U.S. and worldwide.

Standing alongside U.S. Jewish and Muslim national leaders at the headquarters of The Interfaith Alliance, Johnson expressed concern for the message of the film and its release during the holy month of Ramadan. Noting that the film’s mass distribution in Ohio newspapers last month was soon followed by an attack on the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton — a city that hosts the Dayton International Peace Museum (which was founded by FOR members) — Johnson said, "The timing of this attack was all the more disturbing."

FOR is working to mobilize its partner organizations in the Olive Branch Interfaith Peace Partnership to raise their voices against the film’s distribution, said Johnson — a collective of some two dozen faith-based organizations that are committed to peace and justice, and to ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Several of our sister groups, including American Muslim Voice and the Shalom Center, have already spoken out quickly and forcefully against the hateful rhetoric promoted by this film," Johnson noted. "I am standing today with other religious leaders to condemn the attack on the Dayton mosque and to work to heal the wounds of this nation in response to such fear-mongering."

A statement of national U.S. religious leaders issued on October 7th at the press conference is open for additional signatures. Read the statement here.