This week marked three years since the Trump administration issued its travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries. Millions of individuals have felt the impact of this discriminatory measure — and to make matters worse, this past Friday, the administration expanded travel restrictions to six more countries. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we will explore the latest iteration of this xenophobic order, and how activists are fighting back.
Although the administration’s Islamophobia continues to drive national policy, there is a glimmer of hope as Speaker Pelosi announced this week that the House will soon take action on the NO BAN Act. Madihha Ahussain, Muslim Advocates’ special counsel for anti-Muslim bigotry, will join Rev. Welton Gaddy, host of State of Belief, to discuss the organization’s efforts leading a coalition in support of this historic legislation.
For the first time in the history of the March for Life, a sitting U.S. President was a featured speaker. Welton will sit down with Jack Jenkins — national reporter at Religion News Service and author of the upcoming book American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country — to discuss the March and how the President is impacting the debate over reproductive freedom. We’ll also address the growing efforts on the part of Democratic presidential candidates to reach out to progressive people of faith.
In 2016, White Evangelical voters were essential to President Trump’s rise – and continue to be central in the 2020 election. Ema O’Connor, politics and religion reporter at BuzzFeed News, will join Welton to discuss her work reporting on divisions within the Evangelical community sparked by this level of loyalty to an earthly leader.
