A Republican congresswoman is dealing with widespread backlash after saying {that a} Sikh shouldn’t have performed a prayer within the US Home.
Mary Miller, an Illinois consultant, on Friday revealed – then deleted – a publish on X saying that Giani Singh, a Sikh Granthi from southern New Jersey, shouldn’t have delivered the Home’s morning prayer.
Miller at first mistakenly recognized Singh as a Muslim and stated that it was “deeply troubling” somebody of that religion had been allowed to guide prayer within the Home and it “ought to by no means have been allowed”, Miller posted on X.
“America was based as a Christian nation, and I imagine our authorities ought to replicate that fact, not drift farther from it,” Miller continued. “Might God have mercy.”
Miller first edited her publish to alter Muslim to Sikh – then opted to delete it.
Her feedback triggered swift outrage, with the Democratic Home minority chief, Hakeem Jeffries, saying: “It’s deeply troubling that such an ignorant and hateful extremist is serving in america Congress. That may be you, Mary.”
Equally, David Valadao, a Republican congressman of California, stated on Friday: “I’m troubled by my colleague’s remarks about this morning’s Sikh prayer, which have since been deleted. All through the nation – and within the Central Valley – Sikh-Individuals are valued and revered members of our communities, but they proceed to face harassment and discrimination.”
Jared Huffman, one other Democratic US Home member from California, wrote on X: “I typically say that I serve in Congress with among the biggest minds of the 18th century. With [representative] Miller I’ll have to take it again a couple of extra centuries.”
In the meantime, the Democratic congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey stated on X: “It’s deeply troubling that somebody with such contempt for spiritual freedom is allowed to serve on this physique. This could have by no means been allowed to occur. America was based as free nation, and I imagine the conduct of its legislators ought to replicate that fact, not drift farther from it.”
Grace Meng, a Democratic congresswoman from New York, additionally weighed in on Miller’s tweets, saying: “What’s deeply disturbing is the blatant ignorance and anti-Sikh, anti-Muslim xenophobia coming from my colleague throughout the aisle. There isn’t any place in our nation, and particularly the halls of Congress, for this hate and intolerance.”
Meng went on to add: “The tweet could have been deleted, however we nonetheless have the receipts.”
The Congressional Asian Pacific American caucus (Capac) additionally condemned Miller, saying she had engaged in “anti-Sikh and anti-Muslim bigotry”.
“Sikhs and Muslims apply two separate and distinct religions, and conflating the 2 primarily based on how somebody appears shouldn’t be solely ignorant, but additionally racist,” Capac stated in a press release.
The Sikh Coalition additionally responded on X, saying: “To be clear, deleting the tweet shouldn’t be sufficient. Congresswoman Miller ought to apologize for her remarks – to each the Sikh and Muslim communities, as a result of nobody ought to be focused on the idea of their identification.”
Equally, the Hindu American Basis stated: “Whichever model of the tweet [Miller] was going with, it’s racist, xenophobic and plainly un-American to lash out over a Sikh prayer. Once you took your oath of workplace [congresswoman] Miller, you swore to uphold our structure, whose first modification prohibits your establishing an official faith or favoring one faith over one other.”
Miller’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from the Guardian.
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