One of the absurdities of U.S. policy in the Middle East is that the U.S. government loudly complains about ISIS beheading people for their beliefs but turns a blind eye when the government of Saudi Arabia does the same thing. A Saudi court sentenced a Palestinian man to death for apostasy on November 17, 2015, for alleged blasphemous statements during a discussion group and in a book of his poetry, Human Rights Watch reports. [1] The accused, Ashraf Fayadh, 35, denies the charges and claims that another man made false accusations to the country’s religious police following a personal dispute. “Regardless of what Fayadh said or didn’t say, Saudi Arabia should stop arresting people for their personal beliefs,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director. “The fact that Ashraf Fayadh is facing the prospect of being beheaded only adds to the outrageousness of this court ruling.” Saudi authorities regularly pursue charges against individuals based solely on their peaceful exercise of freedom of expression, in violation of international human rights obligations, HRW says. The Arab Charter on Human Rights, which Saudi Arabia has ratified, guarantees the right to freedom of opinion and expression under article 32. “This death sentence against Fayadh is yet another indictment of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record,” Whitson said. “The Saudi authorities should immediately vacate this sentence and order Fayadh’s release.” Urge President Obama and Members of Congress to demand that Saudi Arabia cancel the death sentence against Ashraf Fayadh and release him immediately by signing our petition. References: 1. "Saudi Arabia: Poet Sentenced to Death for Apostasy; Reverses Earlier Ruling of 4 Years, 800 Lashes," Human Rights Watch, November 23, 2015, https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/11/23/saudi-arabia-poet-sentenced-death-apostasy

This petition is directed to all government and religious leaders world wide as well as to citizens of the world who live in relative safety and security. With all of the talk about Syrian refugees we are concerned about the oncoming winter months. The inhumane conditions in refugee camps often breed terrorists. If we could invest many more of our military dollars in camps with infrastructure: clean water source, electrical power, insulated homes, schools, houses of worship and sheltered work shops, we could influence the situation in war torn areas of the world to a much greater extent. A coalition of investors from the Pope, to the US and NATO allies, to Russia and China could make a huge difference. And with the help of the able-bodied refugee men and women this could get done as fast as many of the projects on HGTV! The time is NOW.

Donald Trump is promoting fascism by supporting special databases and registration for Muslims. He promotes hate against anyone who is not white. This goes against every principle America is supposed to stand for. Why are our leaders, on both the state and federal levels, silent? I want to see the people we elected, who are supposed to protect our country and Constitution, speak out against Donald Trump.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders may disagree on other things, but one thing they strongly agree on is that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and Kuwait must contribute much more to the struggle against ISIS. The Turkey-Syria border must be sealed against ISIS; Turkey must stop bombing anti-ISIS Kurdish fighters in Syria; terrorist financing from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait must be stopped. On November 19, Hillary Clinton said: [1] “The United States should also work with our Arab partners to get them more invested in the fight against ISIS...When it comes to terrorist financing, we have to go after the nodes that facilitate illicit trade and transactions...we have to place more obligations on countries to police their own banks...once and for all, the Saudis, the Qataris and others need to stop their citizens from directly funding extremist organizations as well as the schools and mosques around the world that have set too many young people on a path to radicalization...the Saudis have a multiple level of responsibilities, first and foremost, stopping their own citizens from continuing the financing for extremists...Saudi financing is still a major source of revenue for terrorist groups inside Syria, inside Iraq elsewhere...Turkey has been more focused on the Kurds than on countering ISIS...But the threat from ISIS cannot wait...we need to get Turkey to stop bombing Kurdish fighters in Syria who are battling ISIS, and become a full partner in our coalition efforts against ISIS.” On November 19 (the same day), Bernie Sanders said: [2] “A new and strong coalition of Western powers, Muslim nations, and countries like Russia must come together in a strongly coordinated way to combat ISIS, to seal the borders that fighters are currently flowing across, to share counter-terrorism intelligence, to turn off the spigot of terrorist financing, and to end support for exporting radical ideologies...countries in the region like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE...have contributed far too little in the fight against ISIS...Saudi Arabia has the 3rd largest defense budget in the world, yet instead of fighting ISIS they have focused more on a campaign to oust Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Kuwait, a country whose ruling family was restored to power by U.S. troops after the first Gulf War, has been a well-known source of financing for ISIS and other violent extremists...Qatar will spend $200 billion on the 2022 World Cup...$200 billion on hosting a soccer event, yet very little to fight against ISIS. Worse still, it has been widely reported that the government has not been vigilant in stemming the flow of terrorist financing, and that Qatari individuals and organizations funnel money to some of the most extreme terrorist groups, including al Nusra and ISIS.” Urge President Obama and Congress to publicly demand that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and Kuwait do much more to contribute to the struggle against ISIS by signing our petition. References: 1. http://time.com/4120295/hillary-clinton-foreign-policy-isis/ 2. https://berniesanders.com/democratic-socialism-in-the-united-states/

Syrian families have lost their homes, their relatives, and jobs. Half of the entire country is now displaced. A small fraction have waited up to 3 years to gain entry to the US as refugees. They have passed the most rigorous screening of any immigrants to the US, ever. Now our governor has effectively refused them entry into Indiana. This policy does NOT reflect our values!

Mr Trump has made many offensive remarks, but has crossed the line from sensational to outright unconstitutional. He is a candidate for the presidency and should not be supported by any party if he promotes religious registration and discrimination.

I can only imagine choosing to carry my precious 1-year-old daughter, Abigail, as we flee halfway across a continent, and placing her in a rickety boat or rubber dinghy that may not survive the dangerous trip across the Mediterranean Sea, because that ordeal is still safer than staying home. That is exactly the choice parents are making in Syria today. America must be resolute in the face of terror and never allow our enemies to scare us into retreating behind walls and abandoning our values. It is not difficult to imagine a child we reject today fighting alongside the Islamic State years from now. Abandoned in a dangerous and hopeless place, that child could turn into a fighter firing rocket-propelled grenades at American helicopters, just like the one who brought down my Black Hawk 11 years ago this month. We are not powerless in that child's fate. When I was a child, I witnessed the refugee crisis borne out of people fleeing the Khmer Rouge and Pathet Lao in Southeast Asia. I remember families loading all they had into boats and risking everything on the South China Sea. I am proud the U.S. took in refugees during those years, and ever motivated by the knowledge that we could have done more. This is a time for the United States to lead with strength, not fear.

Watching what happened in Paris was a heartbreaking reminder of how important it is that we stand together as a country united against terrorism, and remember what makes America great. But far too many Republicans like Senator Ted Cruz have rushed to use those attacks as an excuse to block Syrian refugees from entering our country. He just introduced a bill that would block refugees from any country "that contains territory substantially controlled by a foreign terrorist organization." These individuals are escaping the very same terrorism that the world witnessed this week in Paris and Beirut. Thousands of Syrians have been killed, millions have been displaced, and countless livelihoods have been destroyed by the likes of ISIS (or "Daesh") and the Assad regime. Simply turning our backs on refugees fleeing political and religious persecution is not the American way. Sign the petition if you agree, and tell Congress to oppose Senator Cruz's misguided, reckless plan.

Governor Walker has said that Wisconsin will not take any Syrian refugees. This is the greatest exodus of refugees since the end of World War ll.. Americans, except for Native Am. are all immigrants or the children or grandchildren of immigrants or refugees, it is our human duty to help.

There are many Alabamians and citizens of other states who take pride in being among the people of our nation who do not baselessly judge others based on color, race, religion and/or national origin. Please hear our pleas and support a position that is in accord with the American tradition of being open to people of the world who are in need. Only through tolerance, kindness, and support can we defeat the rise of hatred and violence that is occurring in the world today.

Americans need to learn from the mistakes of nearly 80 years ago when this country, like nearly every other country in the world, slammed the door on Jewish refugees trying to escape Nazi persecution throughout Europe. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has called today's conflict in Syria "a humanitarian catastrophe of staggering proportions" with "grave implications for security and interests throughout the world." The violence has claimed the lives of some 20,000 children, and has displaced more than 11.6 million people (http://www.ushmm.org/confront-genocide/cases/syria). Indiana alone cannot solve the world's refugee problems, but we can play a small part in alleviating world misery and catastrophe by making sure that we never again turn away men, women, and children fleeing widespread atrocities and crimes against humanity. Tell Governor Pence and the Indiana State Legislature to remember Holocaust history, and do the right thing in stepping up to help Syrian refugees in need today.

It is unworthy of us as Americans to refuse asylum to individuals simply because their country of origin is Syria or because they are Muslim. There is some risk in ANY action, but we are certainly capable of offering safety and comfort to those innocents who desperately need to shelter in New Hampshire.