The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the organizers of Sunday’s “A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving” to expand their speakers list to reflect America’s rich religious landscape.
According to Religion News Service, speakers are, “almost entirely Christian and mostly evangelical, with some notable conservative Catholics.”
SEE: Hegseth, Barron, evangelical leaders to join Trump event rededicating America to God
In a statement, Washington, D.C., based CAIR said:
“The idea that we are all created equal is central to our nation’s values and faiths. Many Americans died in struggles like our Civil War and civil rights movements trying to move that value from paper to reality.
“That struggle mandates that any event associated with our nation’s 250th birthday must celebrate the equal and unique nature of religious life in the United States.
“Muslims have been present in significant numbers in the country since the colonial era. At that time, most Muslims arrived in the holds of slave ships, in chains, with no religious or individual liberty.
“In his autobiography Benjamin Franklin praised English evangelist Rev. George Whitefield who was refused ‘pulpits’ by clergy in Philadelphia and then went on to create a ‘building not being to accommodate any particular sect, but the inhabitants in general; so that even if the Mufti of Constantinople were to send a missionary to preach Mohammedanism to us, he would find a pulpit at his service.’
“Similarly, the Supreme Court honored Prophet Muhammad in 1935 by including him on a carved panel in its building alongside Moses, Solomon, and others as history’s great lawgivers.
“Many other American faiths have similarly compelling stories.
“Inviting speakers who represent many faiths projects the strength of our religious liberty. The current announced speakers list misses this important mark.”
[NOTE: Muslims generally refrain from artistic depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. CAIR acknowledges, as it did when it engaged the Supreme Court on this issue in 1997, that the inclusion of Prophet Muhammad in the Court’s frieze was a well-intentioned effort to honor his contributions to law and governance. CAIR recognizes the Court’s intent while noting that Islamic tradition discourages such representations.]
In March, CAIR released its 2026 Civil Rights Report “The Right to be Different,” which documents a pattern of public officials using their offices to narrow the definitions of what Americans can look like, say, or believe in 2025.
SEE: CAIR’s 2026 Civil Rights Report Shows the ‘Right to Be Different’ Narrowed in the Past Year
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com