(Washington, D.C., 7/18/2020) – The US Council of Muslim Organizations, on behalf of our members and American Muslims, express our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Rep. John Lewis on the passing of this true American civil rights hero, political conscience of the nation, and human rights icon in our world. USCMO lauds
His legendary, non-violent stand in the face of death during Alabama’s Bloody Sunday massacre in 1965, his stewardship under and support of Martin Luther King Jr. as a young man, and his gradual realization of the need to support the human rights of Palestinians, we see as evidence of his sincere concern for the freedom and welfare of all.
Lewis voted to keep Jerusalem free for all peoples of faith, saying “Jerusalem belongs to all religions and no one can just give it away to one religion,” while voting against the Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act, which sought approval for moving the US embassy to the Holy City. He voted against withholding US contributions to the UN to pressure it to retract its accusations of Israeli war crimes, against any opposition to a unilateral declaration by Palestinians of a state, against prohibiting US government documents from referring to Palestine, and against defunding UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
Lewis supported a congressional letter calling for the continuation of aid to the Palestinian Authority; the immediate release of hundreds of Palestinian minors from the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem from arbitrary Israeli detention and abuse in Israeli prisons; and a resolution protecting the First Amendment rights of Americans to participate in boycotts, an issue of widely recognized significance for Palestinians.
In addition, he courageously voted against the Iraq war, when few others in either the House or the Senate possessed the wisdom and moral valor to do so, as well as against authorizing the extension of the USA Patriot Act until 2013 and amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a notorious tool in the persecution of Muslims.
More broadly, Lewis resolutely supported the democratic aspirations of protesting Egyptians, while formally urging the government of the People’s Republic of China to “stop persecution of all religious practitioners and safeguard fundamental human rights,” and to “release from detention all religious practitioners.”
Lewis likewise voted to counter violence and discrimination against Muslim, Arab, Sikh, and South Asian communities at home.
We will surely miss John Lewis’ stalwart, six-decade stand for civil and human rights in America. We pray for his soul and offer our heartfelt sympathies to his family, loved ones, friends, and supporters.
