Tennessee Republican draws criticism from Democrats for Islamophobic rant

Andy Ogles, a Republican representative of Tennessee, spent Monday on an Islamophobic rant, writing on social media: “Muslims don’t belong in American society,” among other statements that drew heated criticism from Democrats.“None of them belong here,” Ogles wrote in one of several posts on X, next to the mugshots of people he identified as being from Somalia and Senegal, the latter of whom was killed by police after a mass shooting last week in Austin, Texas.In another post, the Tennessee congressman included a screenshot showing member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and wrote: “If muslims want to practice their law and exemplify Muhammadan culture, that is where they belong.”He also commented on a statement from Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayor of New York City who is Muslim, regarding an attempted bombing on Saturday outside his official residence during an anti-Islam demonstration.Ogles wrote: “The [Department of Justice] can deport him today. All they need to do is read his file.”Ogles’s statements were condemned by congressional Democrats as well as groups that advocate for religious tolerance, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) branding Ogles an “anti-Muslim extremist”.“The first amendment guarantees religious freedom to everyone in our nation, including American Muslims. If any member of Congress had declared that ‘Jews do not belong in America,’ that politician would rightfully face condemnation and censure,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the group’s national deputy director, in a statement.In a post on Bluesky, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs wrote: “When members of Congress feel emboldened to engage in blatant Islamophobia and hate, it must be called out. Anti-Muslim bigotry has no place in our politics, our country, or our society.”Shri Thanedar, a Democratic representative of Michigan, responded to Ogles by noting that the constitution protects religious freedom, and that Muslims have lived in what became the United States since the 17th century.“Maybe it’s YOUR values that don’t belong in American society,” the Michigan lawmaker wrote on X.Chellie Pingree, a Democrat representing a Maine district in the House of Representatives, said Ogles and those who agree with him “aren’t interested in facts. All they care about is stoking fear and division, scapegoating minorities, and trying to mainstream racism and white supremacy”.Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, said Ogle’s comments were “disgusting … America was founded on the idea of religious freedom. Republicans must denounce this now!”Ogles, who has represented a district stretching south and east of Nashville since 2023, has proposed legislation to permanently halt immigration from US adversaries as well as several countries with large Muslim populations. During a 2024 encounter with activists protesting civilian deaths from Israel’s invasion of Gaza, Ogles said: “I think we should kill them all, if that makes you feel better.”His social media posts come amid increasingly Islamophobic rhetoric from Republican elected officials at the federal and state level. The top House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, issued an uncommon denunciation of Randy Fine earlier this year after the Florida Republican representative wrote on X: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”“Randy Fine is a disgrace to the United States Congress. He is an Islamophobic, disgusting and unrepentant bigot,” Jeffries said in a statement that called on Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker, to “hold this so-called Member of Congress accountable”.In Georgia, Greg Dolezal, a state senator running for lieutenant governor, released a video depicting Muslims firing guns and carrying out a suicide bombing targeting suburban white Georgians.“Keep Georgia sharia free,” the video concludes.Last year, Greg Abbott, Texas’s Republican governor, designated Cair as among “foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations”, prompting Mitchell to warn: “Anyone could be on the chopping block if a governor is able to win this power to simply declare American organizations to be banned terrorist groups without ever even charging them with wrongdoing.”