Civil liberties eroding, faith groups contend

Christian Century, July 17, 2002

A coalition of religious groups has expressed concern that President Bush's war on terrorism is eroding civil liberties and putting personal freedoms in jeopardy. A joint statement circulating among major mainline Protestant churches said "changes in federal law and policy are causing innocent people to suffer needlessly."

The statement, "The Religious Declaration on Liberty, Security and Faith," was drafted by the Washington Interreligious Staff Community, an umbrella group composed of Washington-based staff for various organizations. It has the support of at least 14 faith groups, including the National Council of Churches and the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs.

"In providing a defense against possible attacks on the liberty of our people, we ought not adopt methods by which we compromise the very liberty which we seek to defend," said the two-page declaration. It criticized antiterrorism legislation passed in the wake of the September 11 attacks, saying hundreds of people have been detained on unknown charges with little or no access to lawyers or their families. Added the statement: "Persons must be free from arbitrary arrest and detention; must have a just and open trial with the opportunity to confront accusers; and must have access to meaningful judicial oversight."

The various supporting groups said their initial fears last fall have been confirmed by aggressive searches by government officials, privacy intrusions, crackdowns on free speech and threats to religious expression, especially for Muslims. The statement was sent to Bush, Attorney General John Ashcroft and the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.--RNS