We are Americans of the Christian faith. In view of recent

actions of a few individuals in the State of Florida who

purport to speak for members of our faith, we recognize the following:

That Islam is one of the great religions of the world;

That, as Americans and as Christians, we respect the rights of

our Muslim brothers and sisters in America and around the

world to worship according to their own beliefs and to adhere

 to the principles set forth in their holy book, the Qur’an;

That as Americans and as Christians, we deplore the actions                                                 of a few individuals who purport to speak as and for Christians                                         in acts of hate, disrespect, and sacrilege towards Islam and its                                        holy book, the Qur’an;

That we also deplore the violence that resulted in injury                                                and death to innocent victims during the protests following                                          the Qur’an burning, despite provocation;

That we believe that Christians everywhere have a responsibility                                      to speak out against these actions, and we hereby urge and                                          implore Christians everywhere to express to our Muslim brothers                                    and sisters around the world our respect for their rights to exercise                          their faith;

That Jesus teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and as                            Christians and Muslims we are not merely neighbors but also                                 brothers and sisters following the Abrahamic path along with                                           our Jewish brothers and sisters; and

That in spite of hateful and violent actions by the few within                                          each of our faiths, we will work for peace and reconciliation                                           and mutual respect for peoples of all faiths who, we believe,                                           are under the same God, the gracious, the merciful.

THEREFORE, with our signatures below, we hereby                             affirm the teachings of Jesus Christ to love our neighbors                          as ourselves, and we commit to stand up with the vast majority of individuals within each faith who respect the rights of others to worship according to the tenets of their religion; and to strive for peace and reconciliation among all people.