The Members of Congress Openly Attacking Muslim Americans

"Muslims don't belong in American society. Pluralism is a lie. His denunciation of pluralism is un-American—not in the sense that it's reprehensible, though it is, but that it is directly in conflict with the founding principles of the United States. Ironically, it has more in common with hard-line Wahhabists."

"Where American Islamophobes in the past two decades have tended to demand that Muslims assimilate or denounce particular people or views, Ogles is taking a categorial approach. His statement's open bigotry is jarring and represents a shift in how anti-Muslim sentiment is being expressed in American political discourse."

"When Speaker Mike Johnson was asked about the comments, the Louisiana Republican declined to condemn them. He said there is concern about imposing Sharia law in America, though there is no evidence of any serious effort to impose Sharia law, and added it's not about people as Muslims—but that's exactly what Ogles's comment was about."

Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee posted explicitly bigoted statements on X declaring that Muslims do not belong in American society and that pluralism is a lie. His approach differs from past Islamophobia by categorically rejecting Muslims rather than demanding assimilation or denunciation of specific views. Fellow Republican Randy Fine made similarly inflammatory comments comparing Muslims unfavorably to dogs. When asked about these statements, Speaker Mike Johnson declined to condemn them, instead framing the issue as concern about Sharia law imposition despite lack of evidence for such efforts. This rhetoric represents a departure from previous American discourse patterns and contradicts foundational U.S. principles of pluralism.

Read at The Atlantic