Seattle Mayor Murray alters plans for city speech at mosque

There’s been a change of plans for Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and his upcoming State of the City speech.

Instead of delivering the speech during an official city council meeting at North Seattle’s Idris Mosque on Tuesday, Mayor Murray will now give a special presentation at the mosque. A text copy of his State of the City speech will be delivered to the city council during its official meeting at 2 p.m. that same day.

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According to the mayor’s office:

Mayor Murray will be giving a special presentation of his State of the City speech at Idris Mosque on Tuesday. In consultation with Council, it was decided the address would be given during a special presentation given no other Council business will be conducted. As previously planned and per the City Charter, the text of the address will be delivered in Council chambers during the regular meeting that afternoon.

Mayor Murray also commented on the special presentation in his weekly newsletter.

This coming Tuesday, I will deliver a special presentation of my fourth State of the City address as Mayor. I will be speaking about the important role cities like Seattle have in protecting and advancing progressive values. I will lay out the bold actions we are taking to address homelessness, close the educational achievement gap, build a more accountable and transparent police force and increase equity and opportunity for all Seattle residents. The special presentation of the speech will be live-streamed on the Seattle Channel and on numerous media outlets for those constituents who do not wish to visit the mosque.

Mayor Murray at the Idris Mosque

The city was criticized after announcing Murray’s State of the City speech would be delivered at the mosque. Criticism was not about the venue, rather, the line between church and state. The speech was to be delivered during an off-site council meeting gaveled in at the mosque. Under the revised plans, there will be no official council meeting at the place of worship.

After the initial plan was announced, Freedom From Religion Foundation attorney Sam Grover commented that, “There’s no good reason to force people who want to participate in an official government function to attend a place of worship, whether it be a mosque, church, synagogue, what have you. There’s no reason to do it, and it risks the appearance that the government favors one religion over others.”

Grover noted, however, that the mayor’s sentiment is understandable — to stand with a community that is anxious under the Trump administration.

Mayor Murray also addressed the issue in his recent newsletter:

I am speaking at the mosque for the same reason we have stood up for civil rights in our African American churches and joined other persecuted people in their houses of worship. We are doing this to send a message of resolve and inclusion.

As the Trump Administration targets the Muslim community through an unlawful travel ban, we are taking a different path as a welcoming city. We have experienced shameful state-sanctioned discrimination of an entire people before, and we are not going back.

Both the City and mosque leaders respect the separation of church and state. In visiting the mosque, we are not validating or elevating one religion over another. We are sending a message that just as Idris Mosque opens its doors to people of every faith and background, our city does as well.

Mayor Murray’s special presentation at the mosque will be shown live on the Seattle Channel. It will also be live-streamed on the mayor’s Facebook page. The presentation is slated for 9:30 a.m. at the mosque. The city asks guest to arrive early, and notes that there will be overflow space on the lower floor of the mosque. There will be additional viewing locations at the Northgate Community Center, the council chambers and in the Bertha Knight Landes room at City Hall.

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