House GOP leadership silent as more members post anti-Muslim statements : NPR

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., has been criticized for his comments about Muslims in America. He is seen here speaking to the New York Young Republican Club on December 13, 2025 in New York.

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Adam Gray/Getty Images

Several Republican lawmakers are increasing their anti-Muslim comments and encountering little or no response from their leaders.

“Muslims have no place in American society,” Rep. Andy Ogles said Monday. “Pluralism is a lie.”

The Tennessee Republican, whose seat is in a safe red district, has previously expressed support for banning immigration from Muslim-majority countries and said in a speech last year that “America is and must always be a Christian nation.”

The United States was not established as a Christian nation.

“It didn’t start this week,” said Sabina Mohyuddin, executive director of the American Muslim Advisory Council of Tennessee. “It grew.”

Mohyuddin estimates Ogles has tens of thousands of Muslim voters in his district.

“We know that this kind of rhetoric leads to more bullying in schools, discrimination in the workplace, hate crimes and vandalism against mosques,” Mohyuddin said. “But it’s an election year and these politicians believe that if they start this hateful speech, they’ll get more votes.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was asked about Ogles’ rhetoric during a news conference at the House GOP’s annual retreat this week.

“Look, there’s a lot of energy in the country and a lot of popular sentiment that the demand to impose sharia law in America is a serious problem — that’s what’s driving this,” Johnson said Tuesday, adding, “It’s not about people as Muslims.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during the Republican Member Issues Conference March 9, 2026, at Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Florida. Johnson told reporters at the conference that recent anti-Muslim rhetoric had been driven by concerns about Sharia law.

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Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Johnson’s comments echo a growing chorus among Republican lawmakers, who are increasingly denouncing sharia law and raising questions about Muslims immigrating to the United States and those already in the country. The “An America Without Sharia” caucus now has 50 Republicans.

Republicans also spent more than $10 million on political television ads that mentioned “Sharia” or “Islam” negatively, most of them in Texas before the primaries, according to ad tracking firm AdImpact. That’s about 10 times what was spent in each of the last four election cycles.

Sharia law – a religious framework – has no weight over the US Constitution.

“Because people don’t really know or have any idea what sharia is, it’s the bogeyman. You just put the message out there and people get scared,” Mohyuddin said. “This is how we practice our religion. And last we heard, the Constitution still protects freedom of religion.”

A handful of congressional Republicans denounced Ogles’ comments.

“I have many Muslim constituents, neighbors and friends who have contributed greatly to our community and our country. Religious freedom is a pillar of our nation and blanket statements like this are offensive and completely inappropriate,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said in a statement to NPR.

But the majority of House Republicans remained silent, with some choosing to double down on rhetoric.

“No more Muslims are immigrating to America,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, said Thursday.

Rep. Randy Fine, Republican of Florida, who recently came under fire for saying he would prefer dogs to Muslims, wrote: “We need more Islamophobia, not less.” Fear of Islam is rational. »

Senator Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama, posted a photo of the September 11 terrorist attacks side by side with a photo of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is Muslim. The caption read: “The enemy is within the gates.”

These statements follow several attacks in the United States, including a shooting at a Virginia college on Thursday and an attempted attack on an anti-Muslim demonstration in New York in front of the home of Mayor Mamdani. Authorities say suspects in the attacks were either inspired by ISIS or had supported the group in the past.

Far from previous political eras

Johnson’s office did not respond to a request for comment on his members’ additional anti-Muslim posts.

The lack of response from Republican Party leaders stands in stark contrast to the swift and decisive condemnation from Republican leaders in the House of Representatives in 2019, following an interview with Rep. Steve King in which the Iowa Republican questioned why the terms “white supremacist” and “white nationalist” were considered offensive.

Liz Cheney — then the No. 3 House Republican — responded by saying King “should get another job.”

“This language has no place in America,” added Kevin McCarthy, then the House minority leader.

House leadership stripped King of his committee assignments.

Former Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, listens to a question during a news conference in August 2019. House leadership removed King from his committee position after he made controversial remarks about white supremacy.

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Charlie Neibergall/AP

Gregg Nunziata, executive director of the Society for the Rule of Law, said the shift in response to King seven years ago and to lawmakers this week highlights two different political eras.

“There’s this kind of new energy on the right that likes to provoke and offend and refuses to apologize,” said Nunziata, who previously served as a policy adviser to the Senate Republican Policy Committee and as a policy adviser to then-Sen. Marco Rubio.

It draws a contrast with the leadership of former President George W. Bush, who, in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, visited an Islamic center and declared, “Islam is peace.”

“Those who think they can intimidate our citizens into venting their anger do not represent the best of America,” Bush said. “They represent the worst of humanity and they should be ashamed of this kind of behavior.”

Days after the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush visited the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C., and declared that “Islam is peace.”

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Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images

Nunziata rejected Ogles’ assertion that “plurality is a lie.”

“I think not condemning this is morally cowardly, but it’s also politically myopia,” he said. “The MAGA movement and the coalition that elected Donald Trump itself were pluralistic. Republicans had a good election year in part because they significantly increased their support in minority communities and in communities that are not traditionally open to Republicans.”

Ongoing censorship effort by Democrats

Democrats blasted the tweets and response from GOP leaders.

“Islamophobia is a cancer that must be eradicated from both Congress and the country. The shocking silence from Republican leaders is deafening,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

“We already know that Randy Fine and Tommy Tuberville are vile bigots,” wrote House Democratic whip Katherine Clarke. “But what’s even worse is the silence from GOP leaders.”

Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., introduced a resolution to censure Ogles and remove him from the Homeland Security Committee. Thanedar has not yet said whether he would force a vote on the measure and his office did not respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Yassamin Ansari, Democrat of Arizona, the first Iranian-American Democrat elected to Congress, posted on X that Fine’s comments “should have already resulted in censorship.”

“I’ve asked before and I’m asking again: @SpeakerJohnson, will you reprimand the representative. Fine? Strip him of his committee assignments? Anything? Or does the Republican caucus tolerate racism?” she wrote.