Lawmakers and faith leaders gathered at the statehouse Thursday in support of religious freedom, calling for “faith over fear.”
The event comes after Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith was on a podcast last month talking about his hate for Islam and hope that all Muslims would convert to Christianity.
“I hate Islam, it’s a demonic death cult,” Beckwith said.
Those statements have garnered national attention, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR, releasing a statement urging Beckwith to visit a Mosque and meet with members of the Indiana Muslim community.
Both Republicans and Democrats gathered at the statehouse Thursday to show support for religious freedom in Indiana. Several lawmakers, including Sen. Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) and Sen. Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette), gave statements.
Sen. Fady Qaddoura (D-Indianapolis), who is Muslim, called on Governor Mike Braun to make a public statement affirming his support for religious liberty.
“We need the Governor to tell the public that he, as the highest elected executive, does not stand for hate,” he said.
Governor Mike Braun has said he wouldn’t have used the same words as the Lt. Gov. and that “Micah was making a point that he probably regrets.”
But Qaddoura said that the statement from the Governor isn’t enough because it sounds as though he may ultimately agree with the Lt. Governor’s broader points about violent extremism in Islam.
More recently, Beckwith has pivoted his language, noting that his opposition is to “Sharia Law,” which “promotes the destruction of our country, our Constitution, and our way of life.”
Beckwith’s original comments came on the heels of an attack on a California mosque. Qaddoura said that threats against Indiana mosques have seen an uptick following the Lt. Governor’s statements.
“We have noticed an immediate physical impact on the ground in Indiana,” Qaddoura said. “Mosques across Indiana had to hire additional security at every mosque at almost every prayer to protect Hoosier Muslims.”
Leaders of different Indiana faith groups gathered to show their support for religious liberty, including the Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance and members of Indiana’s Mormon community.
State Treasurer Republican Daniel Elliot, himself a member of the Mormon Church, said both the U.S. and Indiana constitutions enshrine freedom of worship.
“If we start saying it's okay to start hating the Muslim or the Jew or the Hindu or any other faith, then pretty soon we start to say, oh, you're not the right flavor of Christianity,” he said. “It’s ok to hate you too.”
Elliot’s comments come after the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church, was briefly categorized as a non-Christian religion by the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has promoted an evangelical pastor, Doug Wilson, who has argued that Mormons are not Christian.
But Elliot said that isn’t why he came out in support of religious liberty on Thursday.
“Our people were ejected from the country at gunpoint many, many years ago, and so this is something that we feel very deeply about,” he said. “It really isn't about my faith; it's about Americans and all faiths.”
When reached for comment, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s office responded that he loves “all groups of people who come to our country legally and assimilate to our culture. Sharia Law does the exact opposite of that and promotes the destruction of our country, our Constitution, and our way of life.”
The Governor’s office did not respond to WFYI’s request for comment.
Contact Government Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org
