INTERFAITH ALLIANCE FOUNDATION

WHAT WE BELIEVE

We believe that religious freedom is a foundation for American democracy.
We believe that matters of personal conscience must be held sacred, but no one has the right to impose their beliefs on others.
We believe that religious and political extremists are a threat to individual liberty and democracy.
We believe that religious and cultural diversity is essential to building vibrant communities.

Bringing media and public attention to the misuse of religion to divide. Working in coalition with other organizations to disallow the use of religion to discriminate in the public square. We highlight the First Amendment freedoms of free exercise of faith (to believe or not) and the prohibition on the government preference of any one belief over others.

National Policy: We promote legislation that protects the boundaries between religion and government, so that politics doesn’t infringe on your faith and matters of faith don’t infringe on your freedom.

Grassroots Activism: Our local affiliates mobilize individuals on the grass-roots level to make a difference in their own communities. We offer a forum to challenge bigotry and defend religious freedom on local issues, including candidate education, religion in the public sphere, and interfaith relations.

Election Monitoring: We track the use (and misuse) of religion by candidates for public office and help religious leaders and politicians navigate the boundary between politics and religion.

Education: We facilitate interfaith dialogue to enhance mutual understanding and respect for religious differences.

Our weekly radio and podcast program,State of Belief is based on the proposition that religion has a positive and healing role to play in the life of the nation. The show explains and explores that role by illustrating the vast diversity of beliefs in America – the most religiously diverse country in the world – while exposing and critiquing both the political manipulation of religion for partisan purposes and the religious manipulation of government for sectarian purposes.

Our Policy staff monitors attempts to breech the boundary between religion and politics (aka church state separation) and works within numerous coalitions to raise first amendment arguments to protect the boundary. Our efforts are amplified by 12 Affiliates across the country that raise these issues on both a local and regional basis

Field Staff work with Affiliate leaders to watchdog state and local efforts to misuse religion

For nearly 20 years we have distributed guides for Houses of Worship on what they can and cannot do legally during an election year; Guides for candidates on how to treat people of faith differently than their own, respectfully and how to interact with House of Worship without compromising their tax status; and a guide for questions citizens should ask candidates about protecting the boundaries between religion and government. We have sponsored Candidate Pledges of Civility: calling on candidates to “not use religion as a
weapon in their campaign or claim that a vote for them is a vote for God.

2011: Faith Shared: Remebering the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11: http://faithshared.org At a time when there were threat to publicly burn Quran's, Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First undertook an effort to bring together clergy from multiple faith traditions, with an emphasis on the inclusion of Muslim clergy to hold joint events involving clergy reading from each other’s sacred texts. Examples included a Christian Minister, Jewish Rabbi and Muslim Imam participating in a worship service or other events around the country.

In 2019
Co-convenor of the Faith for Equality coalition, a driving force behind passage of the Equality Act in the House - May 2019

Co-sponsored briefing on Capitol Hill on Project Blitz - June 2019 

Directed hundreds of outreach calls and messages to Congress in support of the No Ban Act

Submitted formal comments and educated our membership about discriminatory rules proposed by the Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services

Elevated diverse faith and non-religious voices in joint amicus briefs before the Supreme Court, 2nd Circuit, 3rd, 7th Circuit, 9th Circuit, and 10th Circuit