US lawmakers push 100-foot protest buffer around places of worship

US lawmakers and more than 30 faith groups have backed a bill creating a 100-foot buffer around places of worship during services. Supporters say the measure would protect worshippers from intimidation while preserving core First Amendment freedoms.

US lawmakers have made a bipartisan push for the early passage of a bill that seeks to create a 100-foot protest-free buffer zone around places of worship during religious services. More than 30 groups, including organisations representing Hindus, Sikhs and Jews, gathered at Capitol Hill on Wednesday to support the proposed law.

The Right to Worship Act, introduced in the House by Congressmen Tom Suozzi and Brad Knott, would make it unlawful to knowingly disrupt or impede people from attending religious services. The measure is part of a bipartisan and bicameral effort introduced in August.

"Exercising your right to worship should not require you to exhibit particular courage as you enter your synagogue, church, mosque, temple, mandir, or gurdwara," said Suozzi, a Democrat from New York. He added, "The breadth of support for the Right to Worship Act is very gratifying. So many groups recognise the horrifying reality that the threat to the freedom to worship is not unique to any one faith or congregation. Every religious community feels it, which is why this bill will protect everybody."

Knott, a Republican from North Carolina, said the right to worship was under threat, which amounted to a First Amendment violation. "If people in the United States cannot worship, we do not have a First Amendment. And the right to worship is under attack," he said. The First Amendment to the US Constitution protects core individual liberties, including freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly and petition.

Suozzi's Right to Worship Act builds on his earlier introduction of the Safeguarding Access to Congregations and Religious Establishments from Disruption, or SACRED, Act in April, which also sought to establish a 100-foot protest-free buffer zone around places of worship.

Among the organisations backing the measure are the Hindu American Foundation, UNITED SIKHS, the American Jewish Committee, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, the Coalition of Hindus of North America and the Jewish Federations of North America. "In recent years, we have seen a disturbing rise in the harassment of devotees and disruption of services at Hindu mandirs across America, which has deeply shaken the sense of safety for our families and devotees," said Suhag Shukla, Executive Director at the Hindu American Foundation. She said, "By making it unlawful to intentionally disrupt or harass individuals within 100 feet of a religious establishment and establishing civil penalties, this legislation ensures that our mandirs remain the sacred spaces of peace and community they are meant to be."

"Protecting religious freedom and protecting freedom of expression are not mutually exclusive. Both are essential to a free, diverse, and democratic society. The right to worship freely and the right to express oneself freely go together," said Gurvinder Singh Gill, International Aid Director of UNITED SIKHS. Mukesh Swaroop, Director of Government Relations for BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, said, "Four of our mandirs have been vandalised in recent years, and a family should never have to think twice before walking through the door of a house of worship." Hitesh Trivedi, COO of the Coalition of Hindus of North America, said, "This is a much-needed step to help ensure that devotees of every faith can visit their places of worship and pray without fear of being targeted or intimidated for simply exercising their First Amendment rights."

The proposed law has drawn support from a broad group of faith-based organisations as lawmakers seek legal protection for worshippers attending services, with backers saying the measure is aimed at ensuring that people of all faiths can pray without disruption or intimidation.