Washington, DC – The following is a statement from Scott Simpson, public advocacy director of Muslim Advocates, concerning the Act for America convention at the Marriott hotel in Crystal City, Virginia:

“This week, in Crystal City, Virginia, the largest anti-Muslim gathering in the nation is coming together. After years of toiling on the fringes of society, Act for America is now trying to capitalize on a surge of energy from the emboldened white supremacist movement and by a new set of friends in the White House.

We cannot let them continue to try mainstreaming their message of hate.  The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated them as a hate group, because they push wild anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and believe that Muslims “cannot be loyal citizens of the United States.”

We’re dismayed that Marriott International has decided to ignore the many Americans and their customers who have called upon to take a stand against this hate convention. Many leading companies have decided that they don’t want to be a platform for hate, including Marriott’s direct competitors Airbnb, the Willard Hotel, and Sofitel and major companies like Paypal, Spotify, Apple, GoDaddy, and Google. We hope that, in the future, Marriott will decide to be a hate-free hotel for the good of its employees and customers.”

Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and educational organization that works on the frontlines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths.

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