A Republican congressman from Tennessee declared on social media Monday that “Muslims don\u2019t belong in American society,” prompting backlash largely from Democrats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Pluralism is a lie,” Rep. Andy Ogles continued in the bigoted post on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democratic politicians swiftly condemned Ogles and his post, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York calling Ogles a “malignant clown.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Disgusting Islamophobes like you do not belong in Congress or in civilized society,” Jeffries wrote on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., wrote in a separate post: “This disgusting s— doesn\u2019t belong in American society. And Republicans who support it don\u2019t belong in Congress.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., responded, as well, writing on X: “I don\u2019t know how many Muslims are in this guy\u2019s district. I know there are tens of thousands in mine. They are parents. Entrepreneurs. Police officers. The firefighter-paramedic giving CPR to save your life. They are us. They are American. This tweet is NOT American.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The office of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the post from Ogles, who has a history of making outrageous comments about Muslims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One prominent Republican who criticized Ogles’ post was Richard Grenell, a special envoy for President Donald Trump and the interim president of the Kennedy Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Stop attacking the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Grenell wrote on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A representative for Ogles did not respond to a request for comment. Ogles did not back down online, posting on X about “the high-ranking Democrats flooding X to condemn me” in one post and in another about the dozens of “Islamic countries in the world.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“If muslims want to practice their law and exemplify Muhammadan culture, that is where they belong,” he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The posts came after an attempted terrorist attack in New York City, where federal prosecutors have said the two suspects are aligned with ISIS, a common name for the Islamic State terrorist group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another Republican congressman with a history of bashing Muslims online, Rep. Randy Fine of Florida, posted about that incident over the weekend, saying, “We don\u2019t need to live like this. Deport them ALL.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fine faced calls to resign from Democrats last month when he posted on social media, \u201cIf they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ogles, meanwhile, made headlines last year when he called for Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim and a naturalized U.S. citizen, to be deported after he won the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director of the Islamic civil rights group CAIR, said in a statement Monday: \u201cThe First Amendment guarantees religious freedom to everyone in our nation, including American Muslims. If any member of Congress had declared that \u2018Jews do not belong in America,\u2019 that politician would rightfully face condemnation and censure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYet like Randy Fine and other anti-Muslim extremists in Congress, Mr. Ogles has faced no consequences for his dangerous rhetoric, even as American Muslim elected officials experience censure motions, threats and harassment for daring to criticize Israel\u2019s genocide in Gaza. The double standards and hypocrisy must end,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A representative for Fine did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pew Research Center has estimated there are 3.5 million Muslims in the U.S., or about 1% of the country’s overall population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n