The Honorable Mo Brooks

United States House of Representatives

1230 Longworth HOB

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Brooks,

We are writing to you to express our displeasure at the remarks that you made on the radio show Talk 99.5's Matt and Aunie show from Birmingham. During that show you made disparaging remarks about the GLBTQI community and the American Islamic community. You said that the American Muslim community would “kill every homosexual in the United States of America.” You went on to indicate that the motivation behind the Orlando attack and similar “killing sprees and it's the principles … are taught by Islam.”

Extremist groups use religious rhetoric to justify why they became radicalized, but their motivations according to them tend to fall in the categories of historic injustices, recent wars, poverty or hardship. We would like to broaden that line of thinking and argument.

According to David Cameron, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, radicalized individuals occur because of one of four reasons.

Extremism can seem exciting, especially to young people.

People can be drawn from non-violent extremism to violent extremism.

Extremists are overpowering other voices within Muslim debate.

Failures of integration allow extremist ideas to gain traction.

We bring this to your attention if only to indicate that the problem is far more complex and nuanced. We are hopeful that you would want to be precise in your language and show unity and leadership for community, state and country. We are dismayed that you focus on memes and imprecise language rather than show leadership. We live in a scary time, a time when people crave safety and easy answers. But the problems we are encountering require dialogue, learning both from our past and the experiences of each other in the present.

We are especially concerned that on the heels of the deadliest mass murder in US history, you choose to be insensitive to both the American Muslim and the American GLBTQI community. Both of these communities need our love and our support.

We invite you to demonstrate courageous leadership by coming to the Huntsville Islamic Center to pray with area leaders and enter into dialogue. The sunset meal called iftar is held at 8pm every night during the month of Ramadan until its conclusion on July 6. You are also invited to Spirit of the Cross, the GLBTQI church in North Alabama and Free2Be offices to learn more about the GLBTQI community.

In the Pulse night club that dreadful night people lost their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, significant others, partners, husbands, wives and friends. The level of suffering that occurred begs for both justice and grieving. It demands that you, Congressman Brooks, who are in a leadership position for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) to demonstrate reconciliation, bridge building and openness. The hearts of our entire community were broken. “Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.” (Talmud Sanhedrin 37a). That night many worlds were shattered. Through faith and compassion we can begin a process of healing.

This was a process which began last week at a memorial service as part of PRIDE where the Mayor Battle and State Representatives Hall and Thomas along with a variety of clergy participated highlighting unity and love in the face of hate. The message from the Huntsville/Madison county area that day to the world, was that we are a place that strives to be full of acceptance and love and are a beacon of light for the South.

We learn the value of love from the three Abrahamic faiths

"God is love; and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." First John 4:16 and “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.” Mathew 7:12

Leviticus 19:18 teaches us, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And that Genesis 1:26-27 reveals, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness'

“By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, you will not enter Paradise unless you believe, and you will not believe unless you love each other. Should I direct you to something that if you constantly did it, you would love each other? Spread the greetings of peace among you” (Hadeeth Muslim)

May these passages from the sacred texts of all three traditions inspire you to begin a conversation that will bring healing and accept this invitation with the love in which it comes to you in.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar, Temple B’nai Sholom

Rev. Gregory Jerome Bentley, Fellowship Presbyterian Church

Rev. Dr. Basye Holland-Shuey, The Episcopal Church of Nativity

Aladin Bashir, Huntsville Islamic Center

James Robinson, Free2Be

Rev. Lynn Bullard, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Rev. Sherry Birney, Grateful Life Community Church