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 2002 Compilation Presidential Documents PROCLAMATIONS Proclamation 7517 of January 15, 2002 Religious Freedom Day, 2002 By the President of the United States o/America A Proc]amation Reli\365ious freedom is a cornerstone of our Republic, a core principle of our Constitution, and a fundamental human ri\365ht. Many of those who first set- tled in America, such as Pil\365rims, came for the freedom of worship and be- lief that this new land promised. And when the British Colonies became the United States, our Founders constitutionally limited our Federal Gov- ernment's capacity to interfere with reli\365ious belief by prohibitin\365 the Con- \365tess from passin\365 any law "respectin\365 an establishment of reli\365ion, or pro- hibitin\365 the free exercise thereof." These constitutional limits have allowed the flourishin\365 of faith across our country, which \365ready blesses our land. Geor\365e Washin\365ton forcefully expressed our collective constitutional prom- ise to protect the ri\365hts of people of all faiths, in a historic letter he wrote to the Jewish community at Touro Syna\365o\365ue in Newport, Rhode Island: "the Government of the United States, which \365ives to bi\365otry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires on]y that they who ]ive under its pro- tection should demean themselves as \365ood citizens...." Today, our cities are home to syna\365o\365ues, churches, temples, mosques, and other houses of wor- ship that peacefully welcome Americans of every belief. Preservin\365 reli- \365ious freedom has helped America avoid the wars of reli\365ion that have pla\365ued so many cultures throu\365hout history, with deadly consequences. Today, as America wa\365es war a\365ainst terror, our resolve to defend reli\365ious freedom remains as stron\365 as ever. Many miles from home, American serv- ice men and women have risked their lives in our efforts to drive the Taliban re\365ime from power, endin\365 an era of brutal oppression, includin\365 reli\365ious oppression. At home, Americans demonstrated the vitality of our 1

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