Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) posted, then deleted, a comment that tore into a Sikh man, whom she called “a Muslim,” for delivering a prayer before Congress.
“It’s deeply troubling that a Muslim was allowed to lead prayer in the House of Representatives this morning,” the lawmaker wrote on X Friday. “This should have never been allowed to happen.”
“America was founded as a Christian nation, and I believe our government should reflect that truth,” continued Miller, who once sparked outrage for quoting Adolf Hitler.
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The man in question, Giani Surinder Singh, is not Muslim at all. He is the leader of a Sikh congregation in New Jersey, and was invited to give the daily prayer on Friday. While the prayer is usually delivered by the House chaplain, it is a tradition to allow guest faith leaders to stand in.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), who switched parties in 2020, called the House session to order soon after the prayer, and praised Singh in his remarks.
“Day after day, year after year, he leads not just with words, but with example, with peace, with humility, with service towards all,” the lawmaker said of Singh. “These are not just Sikh values. They are American values.”
Miller quickly edited her post to correct Singh’s religion. A while later, she deleted it. Her office did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment, and she has not addressed the post publicly.
The bipartisan blowback was swift.
“It’s deeply troubling that such an ignorant and hateful extremist is serving in the United States Congress,” Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, wrote on X. “That would be you, Mary.”
“I’m troubled by my colleague’s remarks about this morning’s Sikh prayer, which have since been deleted,” Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) wrote on X. “Throughout the country—and in the Central Valley—Sikh-Americans are valued and respected members of our communities, yet they continue to face harassment and discrimination.”
In a statement to Politico, Harman Singh, director of the civil rights nonprofit Sikh Coalition, called on Miller to apologize for her “hateful rhetoric.”
“Congresswoman Miller should apologize for her remarks—to both the Sikh and Muslim communities, because no one should be targeted on the basis of their identity,” Singh said. “We encourage Congresswoman Miller to learn this lesson from her Sikh constituents, and would be happy to facilitate these conversations.”
Haris Tarin, vice president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, accused Miller of “Islamophobia” in a statement to Politico.
“We were intentionally founded as a nation of all faiths,” Tarin said. “Apparently she must have forgotten about the First Amendment in this country.”
It isn’t the first time Miller, a hard-right conservative, has sparked outrage. In 2021, she infuriated many when she said that “Hitler was right about one thing. He said whoever has the youth has the future.” She later apologized for the comment.
