In June, the ACLU released a report on the devastating effect of U.S. government actions on American Muslims' ability to profess and practice their religion through charitable giving.
Two weeks after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, George Bush issued an emergency executive order that broadened the authority of the government to freeze assets held by charities and individuals without warrants and court approval.
The result? "Pervasive fear among Muslim charitable donors that they may be arrested, retroactively prosecuted for donations made in good faith to legal Muslim charities, targeted for law enforcement interviews for exercising their religious obligation to pay zakat, subpoenaed to testify in a criminal case, subjected to surveillance, deported or denied citizenship or a green card, or otherwise implicated because of charitable donations made in fulfillment of their religious obligation to give zakat."
Yesterday, a federal judge ruled the policy unconstitutional.
It's encouraging that President Obama has acknowledged problems with the current law and called for a change to these policies to enhance protections for charitable giving.
Please stand with the ACLU to defend religious freedom.
Ask the President to follow through on his commitment to protect the religious freedom of everyone in America and make fundamental reforms to unfair and ineffective terrorism financing laws and policies.
