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A proposed \u201cbuffer<\/span> zone\u201d around religious facilities across the country \u2014 touted as protecting the right to worship \u2014 is alarming free-speech advocates who say the Trump administration could use it to crack down on protests.<\/p>\n The new bill, a national version of a controversial law passed in<\/a> smaller jurisdictions, could hamper demonstrations against illegal sales of land in the West Bank to Jewish settlers that occur inside U.S. synagogues<\/a>, the advocates say.<\/p>\n The bipartisan legislation could face another layer of opposition from a surprise corner, however, in the form of reproductive rights groups worried it would undermine an existing law that protects abortion clinics. <\/p>\n \u201cProtecting religious freedom must not come at the expense of other Constitutional rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Called the Right to Worship Act, the bill cosponsored by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., will be the subject of a Tuesday hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee.<\/p>\n The bill has drawn backing from Christian, Jewish, and minority religious leaders who say it could be used to prevent hate crimes. Major Muslim groups, however, have been notably absent from supporter lists.<\/p>\n That isn\u2019t just because Cruz regularly demonizes Muslims<\/a>. Muslim leaders also worry that while in theory the law would be used to promote religious freedom, in practice it would be used to punish non-violent, pro-Palestine protesters, said Dahlia Taha, the director of the First Amendment Center at the Muslim Public Affairs Council.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cProtecting religious freedom must not come at the expense of other Constitutional rights,\u201d she said. \u201cWe believe that this can have very detrimental and long-term impacts. And under this administration, specifically, we\u2019re concerned about those long-term implications.\u201d<\/p>\n Slotkin and Cruz\u2019s offices did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n Under the bill, the Department of Justice could seek civil fines or injunctions against anyone who engages in a \u201ccourse of conduct\u201d that disrupts religious services, or disrupts access to them, within 100 feet of a church, mosque, synagogue, or other religious facility. Worshippers and state attorneys general could also file lawsuits.<\/p>\n Numerous states have already passed similar legislation creating \u201cbuffer zones\u201d around religious buildings. In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani vetoed<\/a> a buffer zone for protests near schools and colleges, while allowing another one for religious institutions to pass.<\/p>\n\n
Land Sales as \u201cReligious Services\u201d?<\/strong><\/h2>\n