Saud Anwar

Senator Anwar Releases Statement in Response to Senator Blumenthal’s Call to Increase Funding for Religious Security

HARTFORD, CT – Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) released the following statement in response to a press conference held this morning by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal. Sen. Blumenthal and assembled religious leaders advocated for an increase in federal funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which funds enhanced physical security for places of worship and faith-based community centers. Sen. Blumenthal and others cited recent increases in acts of physical violence against places of worship, including a shooting at a synagogue in San Diego on April 28 that left one dead and four wounded. Additionally, in late March, a Hartford mosque received a phone call threatening the lives of worshippers.

“I applaud Sen. Blumenthal’s call for increased funding for security at places of worship and faith,” said Sen. Anwar. “No one should feel unsafe or threatened in their church, synagogue, mosque or temple. Unfortunately, that is not the reality we live in. Sen. Blumenthal’s request to more than double security funding for places of worship is a valuable step toward ensuring the protection of worshippers of all faiths, and it is necessary in light of a federal budget proposal that suggests no funding for that cause. These additional resources will help us protect our faith communities across Connecticut and across our country. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.”