Amid a rising wave of attacks targeting houses of worship and people of faith across the United States, the Appeal of Conscience Foundation joined Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, and the U.S. Department of Justice on August 27, 2026, for a high-level meeting of religious leaders focused on strengthening efforts to protect places of worship and confront religious hatred.

Held at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C., the gathering centered on deepening cooperation among government, religious institutions and faith-based communities to safeguard places of worship and to reaffirm the right of all Americans to practice their faith free from violence, threats, or intimidation.

An Extraordinary Gathering, a Single Purpose

The meeting brought together leaders representing a broad range of religious traditions — Catholic Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu — alongside representatives of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Dhillon added that she was grateful to the Appeal of Conscience Foundation and the faith leaders gathered for their partnership, noting that protecting religious liberty is a fundamental American value the Department will keep fighting to defend.

“Attacking a house of worship hits the jugular vein of every faith community,” said Rabbi Arthur Schneier, founder and president of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation.

Participants discussed the threats facing their respective communities, the responsibility of faith leaders to stand together when any religious community is targeted, and concrete steps that religious institutions and government can take collectively to protect houses of worship and combat religious hatred. The meeting affirmed support for the Department of Justice’s zero-tolerance policy toward violations of Americans’ religious liberty and its active prosecution of those who attack and desecrate houses of worship.

The program included remarks from representatives of the Department of Justice and the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, a panel discussion among faith leaders, an invocation, the issuance of a public statement by participating religious leaders read by His Grace The Rt. Rev. Irinej Dobrijevic, and a benediction delivered by H.E. Archbishop Elpidophoros.

In that statement, the faith leaders called for stronger legislation to protect houses of worship and for the creation of an ongoing body of religious leaders to monitor threats and work in tandem with the Department of Justice to help ensure that people of faith can worship safely. The leaders also reaffirmed that the protection of religious liberty and the free exercise of religion are fundamental First Amendment rights.

Calling for Stronger Cooperation

The convening comes amid continuing concern over attacks against churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and other houses of worship across the United States. Notably, the meeting was held on August 27 — the first anniversary of the attack at Annunciation Church, in which two children were killed and twenty-one people were injured — and five days after the United Nations’ international observance commemorating victims of religious attacks.

The Appeal of Conscience Foundation has consistently condemned violence, threats and intimidation directed toward people of faith, and has repeatedly called for stronger cooperation to protect religious communities. For more than six decades, the Foundation has worked worldwide to advance religious freedom, human rights, and interreligious cooperation, standing at the forefront of efforts to build mutual understanding among people of faith.