The Satanic Temple has petitioned the Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission for permission to put up a statue.
The group wants a statue of "Baphomet" to be put next to the Ten Commandments. They say that since the placing of the Ten Commandments at the Capitol was allowed by the legislature, all religious icons should be permitted.
Baphomet depicts Satan as a goat-headed figure with horns, hooves, wings and a beard.
Legislation that was passed last year allows privately funded monuments to be placed on Capitol grounds, without any favor being given to secular or non-secular monuments.
Lawmakers say the Ten Commandments monument represents the "moral foundation of the law." The Satanic Temple says their statue represents a memorial to "persecuted free thinkers."
The statue is over 9-feet tall and bronze. It was almost placed on the Oklahoma state Capitol grounds, until the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that placement of any religious monument on the grounds was unconstitutional.
The Satanic Temple says they will pursue legal action if Arkansas doesn't comply.
According to their website, The Satanic Temple's mission is to "encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense and justice, and be directed by the human conscience to undertake noble pursuits guided by the individual will."
The Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission has not yet responded to the request.
