CALIFORNIA – American Muslims have applauded Governor Jerry Brown’s signing of the California Religious Freedom Act (SB 31), which blocks the creation of any so-called Muslim registry should President Trump choose to act on a proposal he repeatedly suggested during his 2016 campaign.
“We applaud Governor Brown’s commitment to preserving the civil liberties of all Californians,” Yannina Casillas, Legislative and Government Affairs Coordinator of the California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA), said in a statement sent to AboutIslam.net.
“Today, California took a proactive stance in protecting the civil liberties and religious freedoms of all Californians. With the signing of SB 31, Californians know that our great state will stand up to any federal policy that targets vulnerable communities.”
CAIR-CA said the bill, introduced by Senator Ricardo Lara, will provide critical protections to Californians of all faiths and prevent local law enforcement’s participation in a federal registry based on religion, national origin, and ethnicity.
SB 31 will prevent a state or local agency, or a public employee from participating in a federal program to create a database based on a person’s religious beliefs, practices or affiliations, national origin, or ethnicity, for law enforcement or immigration purposes.
California Governor Jerry Brown
It will also prevent state and local law enforcement agencies from collecting information on the religious beliefs, practices, or affiliations of an individual.
In Governor Brown’s 2017 State of the State Address, he affirmed that, “It is that spirit of perseverance and courage which built our state from the beginning. And it is that spirit which will get us through the great uncertainty and the difficulties ahead.”
CAIR-CA advocated for SB 31 at the 6th Annual Muslim Day at the Capitol during which more than 700 Muslims across California gathered in Sacramento to urge their legislators’ support.
Reza Nekumanesh, executive director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno, said the fear of a registry was a reality for Muslim communities.
It was only a year ago that, he said, that Trump surrogates referenced Japanese internment camps from World War II as “precedent” for a Muslim registry.
“Every time we have thought about registering people based on ethnicity, based on religion, no good has come of it,” Nekumanesh told Los Angeles Times.