Religious groups had mixed reactions to President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address this week (January 12). In his wide-ranging speech, the president addressed criminal justice reform, climate change, gun violence, and immigration reform. He also directly addressed religious bigotry:

President Barack Obama: “When politicians insult Muslims, whether abroad or our fellow citizens, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid is called names, that doesn’t make us safer. That’s not telling it like it is. It’s just wrong.”

Muslim and interfaith leaders gave the president high marks for rejecting what they described as Islamophobic rhetoric in politics. In her Republican response to the State of the Union speech, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley also stressed the importance of faith and religious freedom.