User:Myotus/sandbox4

Policies and actions on Race and Religion

The Oath Keepers' bylaws bars anyone that would support discrimination, violence, or hatred against people of color or of any religion.

No person who advocates, or has been or is a member, or associated with, any organization, formal or informal, that advocates discrimination, violence, or hatred toward any person based upon their race, nationality, creed, or color, shall be entitled to be a member or associate member."

Founder, Stewart Rhodes, who points out he is one-quarter Mexican, has worked to give the organization a more mainstream appeal and avoid repeating mistakes made by preceding Patriot movement militia groups which included disavowal of racism and white supremacist ideology on his blog.

Members of the leadership have compared their struggle with the Civil rights movement with Rhodes comparing it the Malheur occupation, stating “Ammon Bundy’s occupation of an empty building is essentially the same as civil-disobedience sit-ins that the political left has engaged in for decades, from anti-war and civil rights protesters in the 60s and 70s” and board member Richard Mack claiming, in spite of the contributing role southern sheriffs took part in preserving White supremacy, constitutional sheriffs could have protected Rosa Parks stating, “Today, that constitutional sheriff does the same for Rosa Parks the gun owner, or Rosa Parks the rancher, or Rosa Parks the landowner, or Rosa Parks the homeschooler, or Rosa Parks the tax protester.”

One article on Oath Keepers' website by Illinois State Representative and founder of Alt-Market.com, Brandon Smith states “Realize there is no such thing as white privilege or male privilege: In reality, there is only institutionalized ‘privilege’ for victim-status groups. There is no privilege for whites, males, white males or straight white males. ... People should not feel guilty for being born the way they are, and this includes us 'white male devils.'"

The group conveys views that are hostile to Islam and Muslims — but makes attempts to appear moderate. Such as one article by Rhodes on the Oath Keepers blog, he writes, "We of course support the sincere moderate Muslims" but then goes on to endorse Matthew Bracken Islamophobic essay, that describe Islam as "a brushfire or ringworm infection: it is dead and barren within the ring, but flares up where it parasitically feeds off the healthy non-Islamic societies around it."

On June 10, 2017 the Oath Keepers participated to provide security in "March Against Sharia," multi-state rallies coordinated by ACT for America, an organization the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Center for American Progress, as the largest anti-Muslim group in the U.S. The main message of these events is the false idea Muslims are working to replace impose Sharia law over the American legal system. In reference to the events, Rhodes said, "We're encouraging our members to go to each and every one of them."