I will always take all allegations of any form of discrimination seriously, which is why I am writing our community tonight. With recent allegations of Islamophobia I must address this issue and see that it is settled once, and for all. The Independent Order will never be a home for hate or division, period. We welcome people of all faiths, nationalities, creeds and beliefs and we recognize that all beliefs are valid, equally and fully, before whichever God we should pray to. The only intolerance we'll tolerate, as a community, is intolerance itself; because those who cannot accept that there exists people different from themselves are truly a problem.
We, as a community, are taking steps to ensure this is not overlooked in the future by condensing channels on Discord while exploring options afforded to our Discord moderators to ensure this community remains a safe space for everyone, regardless of their background in any regard. I will, as always, take seriously any allegation of misconduct by a member of the Order and, if I do not personally address it in an informed and timely manner, will take my lack of action as a reflection upon myself. The Independent Order hates no creed or religion, and will not tolerate hatred toward any creed or religion, period, full stop.
In response to
this post we are conducting an investigation and are taking all relevant steps to ensure the conduct noted within is not repeated and, if it is repeated, the offending parties will be duly dealt with under Regional law and the principles of just being a decent human being. While I am sorry to see members leave I wish these concerns had been presented prior to their departure because I promise you, they would have been acted upon swiftly by regional leadership. Together, we will ensure that hate, division and propaganda do not ever have a stronghold in our regional discourse and I thank you for your cooperation and patience as we deal with these issues which have been brought to our attention.
Beatrice Anselmo
Grand Chancellor
Independent Order
