Muslim groups vow to stay in public life amid rising political attacks
After wave of hostile remarks from Trump, Cruz, Mace, and Tuberville, Muslim American institutions pledge greater engagement, not retreat
WASHINGTON (MNTV) — American Muslim civic and advocacy institutions have pledged to keep participating in public life “freely and fearlessly,” condemning what they call an intensifying wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric from senior political figures that casts an entire faith as disloyal or dangerous.
The pledge follows a string of hostile remarks.
On Aug. 5, Senator Ted Cruz held a Senate subcommittee hearing on alleged Muslim Brotherhood influence that Muslim groups said revived conspiracy theories about a Muslim “takeover”; Democrats boycotted it and no other Republican senators attended.
Two days later, Representative Nancy Mace called every Muslim in U.S. public office a “trojan horse” and a threat to national security.
On Aug. 9, President Donald Trump posted an image of a Muslim American politician and his hijab-wearing wife captioned “Two very different visions of America,” and on Aug. 11 claimed “jihadists” were being elected across the country.
Senator Tommy Tuberville separately called Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a terrorist.
Earlier this year, more than 60 Republican members of Congress formed a “Sharia-Free Caucus.”
The organizations argue such rhetoric collides with the U.S. Constitution, whose Article VI bars religious tests for public office and whose First Amendment protects religious exercise.
They place the current climate within a longer history of prejudice once directed at Catholics and Jewish Americans, and note much of the hostility targets Muslims who criticize U.S. support for Israel — turning a foreign-policy disagreement into suspicion of religious identity.
The consequences, they warned, extend beyond words: they cited a white supremacist attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego and the stabbing of a Muslim man at a Salt Lake City mall, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recorded a record 8,683 anti-Muslim complaints in 2025, its highest since it began tracking in 1996.
Rather than withdraw, the groups urged Muslims and allies to expand civic engagement and called on officials of all parties to reject anti-Muslim rhetoric, including from within their own ranks.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
