As Trump’s rudderless war in Iran rages on, GOP lawmakers ratchet up the anti-Muslim rhetoric | Editorial
The brazenly Islamophobic discourse from dozens of Republicans in Congress, which had been percolating since Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City, has intensified during the Iran war.
As oil prices soared and voters soured on Trump’s unnecessary war in Iran, Republicans pivoted to an old chestnut to distract and energize their base: Islamophobia.
Forget about the tax cuts for billionaires, higher healthcare costs, or even the Epstein cover-up.
Never mind the rising interest rates, the $800 monthly car payments, or growing housing affordability problem that is prompting many to give up on the American dream.
The GOP has a new way to distract from reality: Blame the Muslims.
“Muslims don’t belong in American society,” Rep. Andrew Ogles (R. Tenn.) posted on social media. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R., Ga.) went a step further: “No more Islamic immigration. Denaturalize, deport, repeat.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R., Ala.) responded to a post with side-by-side photos of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani by writing: “The enemy is inside the gates.”
Rep. Randy Fine (R., Fla.) didn’t try to hide his Muslim hatred when he wrote, “We need more Islamophobia, not less.”
The hateful rhetoric from dozens of Republicans in Congress has been percolating since Mamdani was elected. It intensified after Trump launched the war in Iran, a country with a mostly Muslim population, and attacks on a synagogue in Michigan and a college in Virginia.
The suspect in the synagogue attack was a Lebanese American who lost four relatives in a recent Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. His ex-wife told a 911 operator he was “not stable.” The alleged shooter at Old Dominion was a U.S. citizen from Sierra Leone and former National Guard member who pleaded guilty to supporting ISIS.
Instead of trying to dial down the hate — or do anything about the easy access to guns or affordability issues — many Republicans revved up the bigoted rhetoric.
This has been part of the Trumpian playbook from the minute he entered the political arena. Almost no ethnic, racial, or religious group — especially when it comes to Black or brown people — has been spared.
Trump launched his first presidential bid in 2015 by trashing Mexicans. He mocked the family of a slain U.S. soldier who was Muslim. During the 2024 campaign, Trump offered a bizarre rant that amplified a racist rumor about Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating dogs.
In between there has been a wide range of attacks on racial, ethnic, and religious groups, including Blacks, Asians, Native Americans, LGBTQ+, Jews, and women.
The Republican brand has long used dog whistles. Since Trump’s return to the White House, pliant GOP officials have made no attempt to disguise the xenophobia.
» READ MORE: Trump’s war on Iran is already a muddled mess | Editorial
Nearly 100 Republican members of Congress have posted mostly negative comments about Islam or Muslims since the beginning of the year, an analysis by the Washington Post found.
Rep. Chip Roy (R., Texas) posted more than 129 negative comments about Muslims or Islam this year. Texas Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn each made roughly 50 negative social media posts — undermining their oath to represent everyone.
Complaints of anti-Muslim discrimination and bias hit a record high in the United States, according to a recent report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, it is worth remembering the country was founded on the principle of religious freedom. Contrary to what some claim, the U.S. was not founded as a Christian nation.
The Republican brand has long used dog whistles. Since Trump’s return to the White House, pliant GOP officials have made no attempt to disguise the xenophobia.
Muslims have been in the United States since its founding. They fought alongside colonists during the Revolutionary War and influenced Thomas Jefferson, who owned a copy of the Quran.
Muslims make up around 1% of the U.S. population, but they have made major contributions to science, medicine, engineering, architecture, business, government, arts, and sports.
There are more than 200,000 Muslim-owned small businesses operating in the United States, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs. An estimated 5,000 Muslims serve in the U.S. military.
Targeting minority groups is a sad part of American history. Irish and Italian immigrants in the U.S. faced similar discrimination and violence, largely driven by anti-Catholic sentiment from a Protestant-dominated society.
In the 1840s, anti-immigrant mobs attacked Irish American homes and burned Roman Catholic churches in Philadelphia. During the 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy faced intense scrutiny over fears that his Catholic faith would cause him to place allegiance to the pope above the U.S. Constitution.
Elected officials and federal policies contributed to the health and economic disparities that some racial and ethnic groups still confront today.
Rather than attacking Muslims here and abroad, elected officials would be wiser to strengthen relations with Muslim communities, support moderate organizations, and create economic opportunities that provide alternatives to extremist groups.
To be sure, a radical strain of Islam exists today but most Muslims reject terrorism. Indeed, there are 2 billion Muslims in the world, but the combined number of active fighters in ISIS and al-Qaeda is less than 40,000.
In fact, the biggest terror threat in the United States comes from white supremacists, who, as it so happens, are also some of the key animators of the MAGA movement.
But rather than confront the real threat or help average Americans, the GOP turns to Islamophobia while an out-of-control president tries to bomb his way to peace.