Republicans Embrace Islamophobia

It is no secret that the MAGA movement is, at its core, a white Christian nationalist movement. You don't even have to scratch the surface of the movement to find a host of antagonisms towards anyone who is not white and Christian. Cult leader, convicted felon, and failed President Donald Trump's mass deportation program is squarely aimed at Hispanics and other immigrants of color. Trump's refugee program is currently closed to almost all immigrants other than white South Africans. While many prominent MAGAs, such as Senator Ted Cruz, are very vocal supporters of Israel and the Jewish people, the movement is fractured due to the presence of a number of outspoken antisemites. Figures such as Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, and Nick Fuentes are frequent critics of Jews and espouse any number of antisemitic conspiracy theories. Another very common bigotry within the MAGA movement is Islamophobia. While some Republican officials have spoken out about the discriminatory practices of the deportation program and many high-profile MAGA personalities are working to purge the movement of antisemites, Islamophobia is mostly accepted and condoned, even by Republican leaders.

The most prominent MAGA Islamophobe is all-around crazy person Laura Loomer. Strictly speaking, Loomer is simply an influencer with no real authority. In fact, however, Loomer is able to get Trump on the phone almost anytime she wants and has been instrumental in causing several high-ranking administration officials to be fired. A simple tweet by her can result in personnel or policy changes. She is particularly prone to target any Muslim employed in the administration. Loomer is a full-time Islamophobe, in fact once describing herself as a "proud Islamophobe." Not a day goes by without Loomer engaging in explicit Islamophobia on X. Today, for instance, she has tweeted "DEPORT ALL MUSLIMS FROM AMERICA!" She has called for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to be denaturalized. She wrote that "Everyone with a survival instinct is hostile toward Islam." She referred to Islam as a "cancer" and suggested that "patriotic Jews and Christians unite to save our country from the threat of Islam". That is just in the course of a few hours.

When Loomer is not attacking Muslims, she is often defending Jews from antisemitism, or as she tends to refer to it, "Jew hate." However, if these two issues conflict, she prioritizes Islamophobia. For instance, Jake Lang, a pardoned January 6 protester who has become a MAGA influencer, recently held an anti-Islam rally outside the home of New York Mayor Mamdani. During the rally, two individuals apparently influenced by the Islamic State attempted to attack Lang with explosive devices. Needless to say, Lang's hatred of Islam was not alleviated by that experience. This has made him a hero in Loomer's eyes, and she recently hosted him on her podcast. Not discussed, however, was Lang's long history of antisemitism. For instance, just two months ago, Lang led "an antisemitic demonstration ... outside of the headquarters of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, where he threw chocolate coins and gave a Nazi salute." During the rally, Lang engaged in a number of antisemitic tropes, including the suggestion that Jews control Hollywood, that Jews are responsible for the "Great Replacement Theory," in which Jews are encouraging non-white immigrants to replace white Americans, and suggested that the Holocaust is exaggerated. None of this stopped Loomer from promoting Lang. Apparently, his Islamophobia excused his antisemitism.

In Congress, Representative Randy Fine frequently posts Islamophobic tweets on both his official and personal X accounts. Like Loomer, he recently attacked Mamdani, saying that "He should be stripped of his citizenship and deported immediately." He wrote that "Islamophobia is a lie" while retweeting a tweet from Charlie Kirk saying "Islam is not compatible with western civilization." On his official account, Fine posted a meme saying "We must stop the Islamification of America". Also on his official account, Fine wrote "We have a Muslim problem in America." Fine created a bit of a controversy when he tweeted that "the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one," suggesting that he considered Muslims to be beneath dogs.

Like Loomer, Fine devotes considerable effort to opposing antisemitism. For instance, he recently attacked Tucker Carlson saying that Carlson "clearly hates Jews and he's sick in the head." The irony of Loomer and Fine standing against antisemitism while proudly engaging in Islamophobia is that if their anti-Muslim statements were instead directed at Jews, they would be exactly the sort of thing that Loomer and Fine would condemn. Could you imagine the reaction of Loomer or Fine if someone said that America has a Jewish problem or that they prefer dogs over Jews?

Another Congressional Islamophobe is Representative Andy Ogles. Ogles has recently leaned into Islamophobia, which he clearly sees as something that benefits him. Like Fine, Ogles has retweeted the Kirk post about Islam not being compatible with Western civilization. He has also tweeted that "Muslims are unable to assimilate; they all have to go back." What Ogles and those like him don't seem to understand is that Muslims have been part of America for as long as it has been a country. Many Muslims were among the slaves brought from Africa. Thomas Jefferson, no less, campaigned for Muslim rights and famously owned a Quran. Morocco, a Muslim country, was the first country in the world to recognize the United States as an independent country. Ogles thinks that he is standing up for American values when, due to his ignorance, he is disrespecting them.

A recent trend among many Republicans is to promote the idea that Sharia Law is a threat to the United States. This is an entirely manufactured concern. The worry is often expressed as a fear that Sharia Law will be imposed on the United States, but it is not clear how that would happen or who would do the imposing. Certainly, as an electoral issue, there is no real support for Sharia. There has never been a Muslim member of the Senate, and there are currently only four Muslim members of the House of Representatives. None of them suggest any interest in Sharia Law as it is traditionally presented. For instance, all four are strong supporters of LGBTQ rights. In contrast to the four representatives, there are five members of the U.S. Supreme Court who are linked to the extreme Catholic group Opus Dei. Anyone concerned about minority religious views being imposed on the country would be better off looking in that direction.

Nevertheless, in order to combat the nonexistent threat of Sharia Law, 46 members of Congress, from 22 different states, have formed the "Sharia-Free America Caucus." According to a press release put out by the Caucus, "Sharia is a direct threat to our Constitution and Western values and seeks to replace our legal system and erode our basic freedoms." Ogles, who of course is a member of the caucus, is quoted as saying, "Islam is a religion of violence, abuse of women, and ruthless political conquest." This is the stuff of Pizzagate and the Red Scare. These Republicans have invented a threat and then joined together to fight something that only exists in their imaginations.

Islamophobia and fear of the imposition of Sharia Law are pervasive among Republican members of the House. Yesterday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson was asked about Islamophobic remarks by Republican members of Congress. Keep in mind that Johnson is a very devout Christian with many views that are outside the American mainstream. For instance, he famously uses an app with his son to alert each other to any porn usage. In addition, Johnson shares a home in Washington with an evangelical pastor who has attacked the separation of church and state. Therefore, Johnson might want to tread carefully when it comes to the topic of religious law. Yet, when asked about recent Islamophobic statements by members of the Republican caucus, Johnson had this to say:

Look, I've spoken to those members, and all members as I always do, about our tone and our message and what we say. Look, there is 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 animates this and that's the um, you know, the language that people use, it's different language than I would use, but I think that that's a serious issue. Sharia Law and the imposition of Sharia Law is contrary to the U.S. Constitution.

He then went on to say:

When you seek to come to a country and not assimilate but to impose Sharia Law, Sharia Law is in conflict with the U.S. Constitution, that is the conflict that people are talking about. It is not about people as Muslims, it's about those who seek to impose a different belief system that is in direct conflict with the Constitution. That's where I think that comes from.

Note that Johnson does not criticize or condemn the hate-filled remarks by the likes of Fine or Ogles. He considers this simply a matter of tone. But then he goes on to provide a justification for their Islamophobia, which, of course, is the Sharia Law bugaboo. Who exactly does Johnson believe is trying to impose Sharia Law on the nation? How is it that someone as powerful as the Speaker of the House, who we must remember is third in line for the presidency, appears to believe in the myth that there is a threat of the imposition of Sharia Law in America? This is loony tunes stuff. This man is not fit for his position and should resign in shame.

There was a time when Catholics were not considered eligible for high office due to the fear that they would be loyal to the Pope rather than the U.S. Constitution. Jews are often accused of having dual loyalty or putting Israel's interests above those of the United States. Now, Muslims are suspected of wanting to impose Sharia Law. There is no such effort. Moreover, Republicans and MAGA cultists routinely engage in base Islamophobia, for instance suggesting that all Muslims should be deported. There is no penalty for such bigotry; to the contrary, it is rewarded. Islamophobic views even have support from the highest-ranking Republican in Congress.