“Falling back on bigoted rhetoric is not a winning strategy, it only further divides the country and emboldens those who would discriminate or commit acts of violence against minorities.”

Washington, DC – The following is a statement from Scott Simpson, public advocacy director for Muslim Advocates, in response to the defeat of avowed bigot Roy Moore to the U.S. Senate:

“We applaud the people of Alabama for saying no to Roy Moore’s candidacy for the Senate.

Much has been said about the sexual assault allegations against Moore, and those allegations alone disqualify him from serving. It’s also crucial that we not forget his dangerous views on American Muslims, immigrants, women, the LGBTQ community, people of color, and more.

Moore once likened the Qur’an, Islam’s holy text, to Mein Kampf. He led the charge to keep school segregation in Alabama’s constitution. He falsely claimed that communities in Illinois and Indiana are being governed by Sharia law. He said that homosexuality is tantamount to bestiality and inherently evil and that gay people are unfit to be parents. He even said, during this campaign, that the last time America was great was during slavery.

Tonight’s defeat should be a reminder to the nation and to other candidates that falling back on bigoted rhetoric is not a winning strategy, it only further divides the country and emboldens those who would discriminate or commit acts of violence against minorities.

But there are still committed bigots in the White House and throughout the administration and Congress who continue to roll back the rights of Americans. We will not rest on tonight’s victory. We will continue to fight the bigoted policies championed by people like Moore and Trump in the courts, in Congress, and in the hearts and minds of the American people.”

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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