May 27, 2020
Issues: Fighting Bigotry, Religious Freedom
Muslim Advocates Calls for Removal of USAID’s Mark Kevin Lloyd
Agency’s New Religious Freedom Adviser has History of Anti-Muslim Facebook, Twitter Posts
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Muslim Advocates is calling on USAID to remove Mark Kevin Lloyd, who started this week as the agency’s new religious freedom adviser. As a recent Washington Post story notes, Lloyd has a long history of posting offensive, anti-Muslim material to Facebook and Twitter. These now-deleted posts said Islam was “violent in its doctrine and practice,” called the religion “a barbaric cult,” said people should be forced to eat bacon before buying a gun and more. The following is a statement from Muslim Advocates Special Counsel for Anti-Muslim Bigotry Madihha Ahussain:
“Especially during a global pandemic, it is a cruel joke for USAID, an agency tasked with overseeing foreign aid and development efforts, to name an anti-Muslim bigot as a religious freedom adviser. Mark Kevin Lloyd should be removed from his post immediately. Someone who has broadcast this kind of hateful and dangerous rhetoric should have no place in our government and certainly should not be advising a federal agency on religious freedom.
Unfortunately, Lloyd’s appointment at USAID fits a long-standing pattern. As we have seen through the Muslim Ban, the continued employment of anti-Muslim activists like Stephen Miller and Ken Cuccinelli and even President Trump’s own attacks on Muslim elected officials, it is clear that anti-Muslim bigotry has a home in the Trump administration. Regardless, this administration claims to value religious freedom, and if that is the case, then they should remove Mark Kevin Lloyd from his position and replace him with someone one who doesn’t have a documented history of attacking an entire religion.”
Additional Resources:
- Washington Post: New USAID religious-freedom adviser has history of anti-Islam comments
- Blue Virginia: Meet 2018 VA GOP U.S. Senate Candidate Nick Freitas’ “De Facto Campaign Manager”
Muslim Advocates is a national civil rights organization working in the courts, in the halls of power and in communities to halt bigotry in its tracks. We ensure that American Muslims have a seat at the table with expert representation so that all Americans may live free from hate and discrimination.
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