Interfaith Alliance

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Description

Overview and Mission

The Interfaith Alliance has more then 150,000 members comprising of more then 70 different faiths. Together this diverse group aims to Promote democratic values, Defend religious liberty, Challenge hatred and religious bigotry and Reinvigorate informed civic participation.[[1]] The Interfaith Alliance was founded in 1994 by a number of religious leaders seeking to use shared religious beliefs to promote American values of civic participation, freedom of religion, diversity, and civility in public discourse and to encourage the active involvement of people of faith in the nation’s political life[[2]]. The TIA also has 47 local branches which concentrate on local issues as well as a national headquarters in Washington D.C that works with the White House as well as many other activist organizations.

Issues

Hate Crimes- TIA strongly believes that political leaders and the religious community must come together to show that hate and violence are not traditional religious or American values. TIA hopes to promote tolerance and understanding through programs, public education and advocacy. TIA also focuses on the passage of hate crime prevention legislation, organizes rallies and vigils, and brings together religious leaders to speak out against hate crimes.[[3]]

Workplace Discrimination- The TIA believes that all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation should be treated equally in the workplace. People should be judged on their quality of work, not their personal characteristics. TIA is a strong advocator for the Employment Non Discrimination Act which would extend the federal governments current discrimination protections based on race, gender, ethnicity, age and disability to sexual orientation. TIA is also against religious discrimination in employment and the distribution of social services that use federal funds. TIA is in strong opposition to President Bush's Faith based initives that an employer could advertise for a job saying "Members of certain faiths need not apply." This initiative is extremely troubling to TIA and is seen as openly discriminating against people based on religion.[[4]]

Government-Funded Religion- TIA strongly favors the separation of church and state and believes that for places of worship to thrive they must separate themselves from government institutions. For this reason TIA is strongly against President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiatives citing that if houses of worship accepted government funding "houses of worship would be subject to government oversight, as well as invasive government regulation, including compliance reviews, audits, and perhaps even the subordination of religious principle to government policies and objectives. Such practices would inevitably undermine the independence and integrity of religious organizations. We oppose any policy that would entangle religion and government in this unprecedented and perilous way" If houses of worship begin to accept government funding it will disrupt the vital balance that the United States has attempted to create. Government and Religion should continue to work together to help those in need, but their relationship should not change.[[5]]