We are a global coalition of Muslims, former Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, atheists, academics, scholars, authors, and activists united by a shared commitment to peace, democracy, liberty, human dignity, freedom of conscience, and secular governance.
We are deeply concerned by the growing influence of Islamism and by the threat it poses to these principles in societies around the world. We believe Islamism is a political ideology that seeks, in varying forms, to subordinate individual rights, democratic institutions, and civil society to an Islamist conception of religion and law. We reject this political project while affirming the equal dignity and rights of Muslims and people of every faith and of no faith.
Our coalition is uniquely led by co-directors Yasmine Mohammed, a former Muslim, and Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a practicing Muslim. Their partnership reflects both the diversity of Muslim experience and the broad coalition necessary to confront the ideological movements that threaten liberty, democracy, and human rights.
We embrace democratic values founded in reason, open inquiry, freedom of conscience, and critical debate, together with the fundamental freedoms set forth in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
We support liberty and dignity for all persons, including women and girls, regardless of religion, belief, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, or political identity. Every individual must have the freedom to believe, to change their beliefs, to reject religion, and to criticize religious doctrines and institutions without fear of violence, coercion, persecution, or legal punishment.
We therefore defend freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom from religion, freedom of conscience, equality before the law, and the right to engage in peaceful criticism of any religion, ideology, government, or political movement.
We reject apostasy and blasphemy laws, religious coercion, and the use of violence or intimidation to suppress criticism, dissent, or intellectual inquiry.
Because we value peace and democracy, we reject jihadism and all ideological or political justifications for terrorism and violence. We oppose the instrumentalization of da’wah for political purposes when it is used to advance Islamist political power, undermine democratic institutions, or restrict the equal rights of others. We oppose the institutionalization of sharia where it would establish a parallel or superior system of religious law that conflicts with democratic law, equal citizenship, individual liberty, or universal human rights.
Our commitment to these principles extends beyond Islamism.
We stand unequivocally against antisemitism in all its forms, including its contemporary manifestations. We recognize that antisemitism can emerge from the political far right, the far left, Islamist movements, or any other ideological or political milieu. We also recognize that anti-Zionism functions as a contemporary expression or vehicle of antisemitism, as it denies Jews the same rights of national self-determination afforded to other peoples, employs antisemitic tropes, demonizes Jews collectively, or holds Israel and Jews to standards not applied to other nations or peoples.
Our standard is consistent: criticism of any government is legitimate; hatred, collective blame, dehumanization, and discrimination against Jews are not.
We also stand against anti-democratic movements, organizations, and ideologies regardless of where they originate on the political spectrum.
We reject authoritarianism, political violence, political intimidation, ideological supremacism, and movements that seek to undermine democratic institutions, constitutional government, pluralism, freedom of expression, equality before the law, or the peaceful transfer of political power.
We are particularly concerned by the growing convergence between Islamist and far-left movements and activists—a phenomenon sometimes described as the Red-Green Axis—when shared opposition to liberal democracy, the West, secularism, or particular political enemies leads movements with otherwise very different ideological foundations to cooperate in advancing illiberal or anti-democratic objectives.
But our principles are not selective.
We oppose anti-democratic extremism whether it emerges from the far left, the far right, Islamist movements, ethno-nationalist movements, and religious authoritarianism.
Our standard is universal: no ideology, religion, political movement, or group is entitled to exemption from scrutiny because of its identity, political affiliation, or claimed moral purpose.
We believe a free society requires the courage to defend liberty consistently, even when doing so challenges people on our own side.
We invite all people who share these principles to join us in defending democracy, liberty, human dignity, freedom of conscience, secular governance, and the equal rights of all.
