Abuse of Muslims in American is a religious freedom issue, and it's sad that it took the horrific comments from Donald Trump to bring some church leaders to that realization.
From Washington Post:
For the last few years, several of the biggest and most influential religious groups have made the cause of religious freedom a top priority, saying a crisis is afoot. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Mormon Church and many prominent faith leaders have focused intensely on a campaign for religious liberty, saying it is threatened by liberalizing changes like gay marriage and expanded access to reproductive services like contraception and abortion...
Yet in the fall, when GOP candidates filled the airwaves with dramatic statements about the rights of Muslims, there has been largely silence. Ben Carson in September said a Muslim “absolutely” couldn’t be president. In early November, businessman Donald Trump said he would “absolutely” require a database to track Muslims. Last week former senator Rick Santorum said the constitution does not protect Islam, which “is different from Christianity.”
It was only when Trump on Monday proposed banning all Muslims from the country that a few religious liberty leaders spoke out. The comments ranged in their sense of urgency.