Interfaith Alliance of North Dakota Board members:

Gretchen Deeg, Bismarck

Every major religious tradition calls us to walk in the ways of love and compassion. This is not always an easy path, but it is a sacred path of wholeness, health, communal wellbeing, and faithfulness. It requires firmly declaring the deep value of every human being, when some of our leaders are quick to guide us toward hate and fear. It requires us to welcome the stranger who may look or speak differently than we do.

And now, this path requires us to stand united with our Somali friends in Minnesota, in North Dakota, and across our country. We push back against the hurtful, hateful comments of our president – comments that cause real harm to our communities. We challenge our faith communities and our leaders to reject such bigotry.

At a time when attacks like this are becoming more and more common from this Administration, we must hold true to the teachings we believe in and ask ourselves “What path do I choose to follow?”