America 250: Religious Freedom for All

As we celebrated our 250th anniversary this 4th of July weekend, I had the opportunity to speak about religious freedom to 6,000 members of the U.S. Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. While we hold different faiths, we shared these freedoms and are united in our commitment to defend them for all.

https://youtu.be/s8ed5PQBcyY?is=FvZcziIIEf-fBHVa

Remarks by Knox Thames

76^th Jalsa Sana Annual Gathering – Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA

July 4, 2026

What better way to celebrate the beauty and exceptionalism of America than getting to discuss religious freedom with my Ahmadiyya Muslim friends.

As we celebrate 250 years of independence, it is so appropriate we gather in the capital of Virginia, as it was two founding fathers from Virginia who shaped our nation’s understanding of religious freedom for all: George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Thus, July 4th should reinspire us to cherish, defend, and live out together the founding principles they set forth.

President Washington st a high bar early. Just months into office as the first President of the United States, he visited the city of Newport, RH, in August 1790. The warden of the Touro Synagogue wrote the President to welcome him and express appreciation for his leadership. Replying a few days later, Washington shared expansive thoughts about how the new United States would view citizens of different backgrounds.

He stated forthrightly that “All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.”   Mere “toleration” would not be enough. He dismissed any implication that rights were dependent on “the indulgence of one class of people” over another. In other words, Washington said that one’s faith would not affect a citizen’s right to live free and equal with others.

In the most quoted passage, he proclaims, “for, happily, the Government of the United States, … gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”  Many early immigrants came to the United States fleeing religious persecution. Records indicate the synagogue’s congregation had come from Europe, with its persistent anti-Semitism and pogroms. They had fled persecution. They had felt it, much like Ahmadi Muslims experience in Pakistan today.

And while Washington’s letter expressed the view of the first chief executive, Thomas Jefferson had been exploring these ideas years before. While in law school we know Jefferson purchased a copy of the Qur’an. Based on future events, he most likely consulted this Qur’an, as when President he delayed a state dinner to accommodate the Ramadan fast.

But Jefferson growing up here saw how Virginia struggled with church/state issues. The Church of England was the official established religion in colonial Virginia, and historians note that “all Virginians were legally required to tithe to the Anglican Church and attend Anglican worship at least once a month.” Government enforced piety. However, as many Virginians turned to the Baptist denomination, authorities – both governmental and ecclesiastical – did not condone. Unlicensed Baptist preachers faced fines and even jail. Mobs would assault their tent services.

In response, Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom made clear the rights of conscience for all. Starting with the powerful phrase, “Whereas Almighty God hath created the mind free,” Jefferson’s statute prohibited government interference in religious affairs. All because of his concern about the treatment of a religious minority.

The final version was passed in 1786, which inspired the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, whose drafter was another Virginian James Madison. The Virginia Statute was a declaration of independence for religious freedom, putting forth revolutionary ideas for America—and for the world.

Washington and Jefferson laid a firm foundation for the United States, building a new polity around values rather than blood. Certainly, glaring inconsistencies in their personal lives regarding slavery shock the conscience today. But what they established was good. It has served us well. It’s been our North Star. From the beginning, religious freedom has been intrinsically intertwined into the American experiment.

But while a foundation stone, we have work to do at home to combat racism, anti-Muslim hatred, anti-Semitism, and other forms of religious discrimination. Yet, we should be proud how the United States stands apart for its expansive religious liberty protections. I’ve visited many of the broken places of the world. I’ve seen how authoritarian regimes persecute individuals for how they pray or for what they belief. I’ve seen how your community is persecuted in Pakistan through laws and violence.

Every American should thank God that we live in the USA in the 21^st century, and for the great blessings of liberty and prosperity he’s bestowed on us.

But those thanksgivings force us to consider a question: what should we do with these blessings? How should we steward them? I believe the principle of loving our neighbors, here and abroad, should guide our response.

We all revere Jesus, and we agree in love of neighbor. I so appreciate your slogan "Love for All, Hatred for None.” As a Christian, I am commanded by Jesus to love my neighbor, both persecuted fellow Christians but also others, like persecuted Ahmadi Muslims. We are called to help everyone, even those from other religions.

Now we shouldn’t pretend that Christians and Muslims agree every theological point. But we can agree that coercion, persecution, and violence violate human dignity. We can agree that it’s wrong. And as Americans and people of faith we can agree to do something about it.

Towards this, in April, I took up the leadership of the new Everett Center for Global Religious Freedom. An initiative of Dallas Baptist University, we operate in Texas and in DC where I am based. The Center’s mission is to inspire and equip students, churches, and policymakers to advance religious freedom for all. We want to help persecuted Christians but are also called to help our neighbors.

Our new center is committed to fighting for your religious freedoms and everyone’s. In Dallas, we have convened Christians, Jews, Bahá’ís, and Muslims (including Ahmadi Muslims) with representatives from the United Nations. We’ve launched a prayer and advocacy campaign for persecuted Christians and Uyghur Muslims in China. And we hosted Amjad last year via zoom at our annual gathering so Christians could learn about Ahmadi persecution and pray that God would provide protection and rescue for your community.

But we cannot do it alone. We must work together. And here at home, we must push back with others try to pull us away from these values.

If we want a society that gives “to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance,” then Christians must defend mosques, Muslims must defend synagogues, Jews must defend churches, and Americans defend fellow Americans regardless of beliefs.

Washington and Jefferson, these two great Virginians and Americans, gave us the architecture and example that still works 250 years later. But we mustn’t be passive. We must continually commit to their challenge of defending religious freedom for all.

And that is the hard work before us.

Thankfully, we know that God, in His wisdom, will guide our efforts, if we seek his will. May our shared commitment as Americans and people of faith inspire us to help others, regardless of beliefs, every day.