United States Attorney’s Office, Inter-Religious Council of Linn County, and Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission Host Forum on Protecting Places of Worship

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA –United States Attorney Peter E. Deegan, Jr., the Inter-Religious Council of Linn County, and the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission hosted a community forum on October 22, 2019, focused on protecting places of worship.  Leaders of the interfaith community, representatives of houses of worship, and other community stakeholders and members attended.  They discussed hate crime laws, identifying and reporting hate crimes, and best practices for creating safe and secure houses of worship. 

Speakers and panelists included law enforcement officials from the FBI, U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa, Linn County Attorney’s Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, and the Linn County Sherriff’s Office.  A second panel of community faith leaders was moderated by Ms. Sarika Bhatka and included panelists Rev. Dr. Sherri Ilg, Krishna Iyer, Rev. Leoma Leigh-Williams, Imam Hassan Selim, and Rabbi Todd Thalblum.

United States Attorney Deegan expressed appreciation to the agencies involved and the community members attending for their willingness to discuss issues that communities across the state and country encounter.  No one in our community should feel threatened because of his or her religion, and everyone should feel safe when going to their chosen house of worship,” said Deegan.  “All of these organizations and people coming together shows that Iowans want to be proactive when it comes to keeping our communities safe.”

“The FBI is tasked with defending civil rights in the United States, and the Constitution guarantees that everyone in the United States has freedom to practice their own religion,” said Special-Agent-in-Charge Kristi Johnson of the Omaha Field Division of the FBI.  “No one deserves to live in fear because of how they choose to worship.” 

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