During the December 3 Muslim Advocates Annual D.C. Area Dinner, Rev. C. Welton Gaddy discussed the rise of anti-Muslim rhetoric and hate crimes in the U.S. and around the world and said “the most fundamental values of both religion and democracy … are under siege,” according to Media Matters for America.
Media Matters reported that Gaddy added that when religion is used as “a justification for hate and discrimination, the health of the soul of our republic needs to be re-examined.” Gaddy also pointed out the hypocrisy in people “seeking to change the definition of liberty in order to claim a freedom for themselves that they refuse to extend to others.”