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SF Bay Area Religious Leaders Stand in Solidarity
in Condemnation of Horrific Terrorist Attacks
on Two New Zealand Mosques
________________________________________

As people of faith, we stand in solidarity with the Muslim community in New Zealand, with all our Kiwi friends and with all our Muslim sisters and brothers around the world in this time of mourning. The violence unleashed in Christchurch strikes at the heart of our faith commitments and our humanity. At this time, we recall the verse in the Qur'an that states, "Give glad tidings to the patient, to those who, when calamity strikes, Say: 'We belong to God, and to Him we shall return.' Upon them descend blessings from God and mercy." We pledge not only our prayers but our active support to the families of the victims and to their community in whatever way we can be of help.
 
This was not an isolated incident. We remember those killed at the Pittsburgh synagogue and at the Charleston African-American church attacks, like this one, driven by religious, racial, and ethnic hatred that is unacceptable in any community. We say "No!" not only to violence but to the hatred and bigotry that foster such violence. No one should fear for their safety at their house of worship. No one should fear violence, or hatred, or disrespect on account of their religious, racial, or ethnic identity.
 
These incidents do not happen in a vacuum. They are the fruit of attitudes of intolerance and prejudice that are deeply rooted in society, attitudes that have been fostered over the last several years by elected officials and other people of influence. In particular, we must call attention to, and speak out against, political efforts to exploit social division and sow fear. Policies like separating families through the Muslim travel ban, taking children from their families at the US border, or dehumanizing refugees all feed the hate that erupts into violence and into less visible but also deeply hurtful acts of dehumanization and bigotry. We need to call on our elected officials to commit themselves to oppose hate speech and hate violence in every form and to reject policies that spring from it and feed it.
 
At this moment of horror and grief, we must also call on our sisters and brothers in our religious communities and on all our fellow citizens to demonstrate acts of solidarity with our Muslim sisters and brothers, and we must pledge ourselves not only to speak out but also to educate about and foster encounters among the diverse people that make up our countries and our world, so that we may root out the seeds of hatred and xenophobia that give rise to such horrors as we have just experienced. May this event spur us on to ever greater efforts to promote human solidarity.

Kaushik Roy, Chair, San Francisco Interfaith Council
Commissioner Hala Hijazi, Human Rights Commission, CCSF, and 
  San Francisco Interfaith Council Board Member
Fatih Ates, Director, Pacifica Institute/BAYCC and SF Interfaith Council Board Member
Rita Semel, Past Chair, San Francisco Interfaith Council
Michael G. Pappas, M.Div., Executive Director, San Francisco Interfaith Council

Imam Abu Qadir Al-Amin, Resident Imam, San Francisco Muslim Community Center
The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus Eighth Bishop, The Episcopal Diocese of California
Fr. Mesrop Ash, Parish Priest, St. John Armenian Church
Rev. Thomas P. Bonacci, C.P., The Interfaith Peace Project
J. Thomas Briody, President & Chief Executive Officer, Institute on Aging
Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown, Pastor, Third Baptist Church & President, SF Branch NAACP
Rev. Gerald P. Caprio, Executive Director, Interfaith Center at the Presidio
Bishop Minerva G. Carcano, San Francisco Area, The United Methodist Church
Michelle Myles Chambers, Manager of FAITHS Program, The San Francisco Foundation
Rev. Calvin Chinn, Transitional Pastor and Head of Staff, Calvary Presbyterian Church
Terence J. Clark, President,  Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County
The Rev. Canon Dr. Ellen Clark-King, Executive Pastor/Canon for Social Justice, 
  Grace Cathedral
Rabbi Mychal Copeland, Congregation Sha'ar Zahav
Most Reverend Salvatore Cordileone, Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco
Rev. Staci Current, Bay District Superintendent, CA-NV Conference, United Methodist Church
Rev. Elaine Donlin, Buddhist Church of San Francisco
Rabbi Serena Eisenberg, President, No. California Board of Rabbis and AJC No. CA Director
Rev. Elizabeth Ekdale, Lead Pastor, St. Mark's Lutheran Church
Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director, Islamic Networks Group (ING)
Fred Fielding, Global Council Trustee - North America, United Religions Initiative
Rev. Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J., President, University of San Francisco
Rev. Victor H. Floyd, Minister of Spiritual Care, Calvary Presbyterian Church
Rev. Norman Fong, Executive Director, Chinatown CDC and Presbyterian Minister
Rabbi Pam Frydman, Congregation B'nai Emunah
Andrew Galvan, The Ohlone Indian Tribe
His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos, Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco
Rabbi Jessica Zimmerman Graf, Senior Rabbi, Congregation Sherith Israel
Rev. Jisan Tova Green, San Francisco Zen Center
Aaron Grizzell, Executive Director, The No. California Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  Community Foundation
Iftekhar Hai, President, United Muslims of America Interfaith Alliance
Ryushin Paul Haller, Senior Dharma Teacher, San Francisco Zen Center
Rev. Steve Harms, Senior Pastor, Peace Lutheran Church, Danville, CA
Rev. Kamal Hassan, M.Div.,  Minister of Word and Sacrament,  Sojourner Truth Presbyterian
  Church, Richmond, CA
Mark W. Holmerud, Bishop, Sierra Pacific Synod, ELCA
Matt Kahn, AJC San Francisco Director
Easan Katir, California Advocacy Director, Hindu American Foundation
The Rev. Victor H. Kazanjian, Jr., United Religions Initiative
Father Stephen Kyriacou, Dean, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Rev. Joann H. Lee, Associate Pastor, Calvary Presbyterian Church
Rabbi Daniel Lehmann, President, Graduate Theological Union
Rev. Will McGarvey, Executive Director, Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County
Jilma Meneses, JD, Chief Executive Officer, Catholic Charities
Abby Michelson Porth, Executive Director, Jewish Community Relations Council
Rodger Powers, Interfaith San Ramon Valley and St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church
Rev. Scott Quinn, Executive Director, Marin Interfaith Council
The Reverend Robert K. Rien, Pastor,  St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Community, Antioch, CA
Rev. Joanna Shenk, First Mennonite Church of San Francisco
Rabbi Beth Singer, Senior Rabbi, Congregation Emanu-El
Rabbi Jonathan Singer, Senior Rabbi, Congregation Emanu-El
Abby Snay, Chief Executive Officer, Jewish Vocational Service
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister, First Unitarian Universalist Society of SF
Sameena Usman, Government Relations Coordinator, San Francisco Bay Area Office, 
  Council on American-Islamic Relations
Quentisha Davis Wiles, Senior Pastor, Pittsburg United Methodist Church
Shari P. Wooldridge, Executive Director and the Board of Directors, The Society of St. Vincent
  de Paul San Francisco
The Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young, Dean, Grace Cathedral
Jenifer Zetlan,  Interfaith Director,  Beth Chaim Congregation,  Danville CA
Rev.  Tenzen  David Zimmerman,  Abiding Abbot, San Francisco Zen Center / City Center