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WASHINGTON — <\/span>Anti-Muslim rhetoric from some Republicans in Congress intensified this week against the backdrop of the Iran war, with multiple lawmakers \u2014 including one who said \u201cMuslims don\u2019t belong in American society\u201d \u2014 drawing condemnation from Democrats for their remarks but little pushback from GOP leaders.<\/p>\n The derogatory language has been percolating among Republican officials for months, often prominent<\/a> when criticizing New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is Muslim. But against the backdrop<\/a> of the Iran war, a country with an overwhelmingly Muslim population, and attacks at a synagogue in Michigan and a college in Virginia, the tone sharpened this week. <\/p>\n \u201cThe enemy is inside our gates,\u201d Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville wrote Thursday in response to a photo of Mamdani sitting on the ground during an iftar dinner at New York City Hall. The photo was juxtaposed with a picture of the Sept. 11 attacks. <\/p>\n Hours later, Tuberville doubled down: \u201cTo be clear, I didn\u2019t \u2018suggest\u2019 Islamists are the enemy. I said it plainly.\u201d<\/p>\n The rhetoric intensified Friday as GOP lawmakers responded to the attacks in Michigan<\/a> and Virginia<\/a> by urging a halt to all immigration into the United States. Some singled out Muslims specifically.<\/p>\n For many Muslims, it’s a political moment that carries echoes from the early 2000s, when the 9\/11 attacks and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars generated hostility toward Muslim communities in the United States, often accompanied by discrimination and racist violence. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen members of Congress speak, it\u2019s not just words,\u201d said Iman Awad, the national director for policy and advocacy for the Muslim American advocacy group Emgage Action. \u201cIt shapes public perception. It legitimizes prejudice.\u201d<\/p>\n Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles in his social media post stated flatly that Muslims don’t belong in the United States. He stood behind it after criticism mounted, later writing that \u201cpaperwork doesn\u2019t magically make you American\u201d and that \u201cMuslims are unable to assimilate; they all have to go back.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about Ogles\u2019 post on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he had spoken to members \u201cabout our tone and our message and what we say.\u201d He said Ogles used \u201cdifferent language than I would use,\u201d but added that he believes the issue raised by the comments is \u201cserious.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of energy in the country, and a lot of popular sentiment that the demand to impose Sharia law in America is a serious problem,” Johnson said. “That\u2019s what animates this.\u201d <\/p>\n Sharia is a religious framework that guides many Muslims\u2019 moral and spiritual conduct. References to \u201cSharia law\u201d have often been invoked by officials to suggest Muslims are attempting to impose religious practices on communities in the United States. <\/p>\n Many Republicans point<\/a> to a Muslim-centered planned community near Dallas as proof of \u201cSharia law\u201d \u2014 though the developers have denied the allegations and said they are being targeted because they are Muslim.<\/p>\n With Johnson not condemning Ogles\u2019 remarks \u2014 or to recent comments from Florida Rep. Randy Fine that \u201cthe choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one\u201d \u2014 the anti-Muslim rhetoric grew louder. After the photo circulated of Mamdani at the iftar dinner, several Republicans responded with critical posts. <\/p>\n Democrats broadly condemned the GOP messages. Chuck Schumer, the leader of Senate Democrats, called Tuberville’s post \u201cmindless hate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIslamophobic hate like this is fundamentally un-American and we must confront and overcome it whenever it rears its ugly head,\u201d Schumer said.<\/p>\n Mamdani \u2014 in response to Tuberville’s post that \u201cthe enemy is inside our gates” \u2014 said: “Let there be as much outrage from politicians in Washington when kids go hungry as there is when I break bread with New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n Federal officials identified a man who rammed his vehicle into a hallway at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, this week as a naturalized citizen born in Lebanon. Officials have said<\/a> that the man had lost four family members in an Israeli airstrike in his native Lebanon last week, just after sunset as they were having their fast-breaking meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan<\/p>\n In Virginia, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh opened fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University before ROTC students subdued and killed him. Court documents showed that he had previously served time for attempting to aid the Islamic State and was released less than two years ago.<\/p>\n Some Republican lawmakers claimed vindication for their views. Others pushed for legislation. Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, the House GOP\u2019s whip, said \u201cthe security of our nation hinges on our ability to denaturalize and deport terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n West Virginia Rep. Riley Moore said he would introduce a bill to denaturalize and deport any naturalized citizen who \u201ccommits an act of terrorism, plots to commit an act of terrorism, joins a terrorist organization or otherwise aids and abets terrorism against the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n Similar rhetoric and policy pushes have surfaced before and drawn controversy. Last year, protesters connected to demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war were arrested and targeted by authorities, including former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil<\/a>, a Palestinian activist the government has sought to detain and deport.<\/p>\n Middle East conflicts bringing domestic tensions is nothing new. With the war in Gaza, both Muslim and Jewish communities have faced faith-based discrimination and attacks<\/a>. <\/p>\n Mamdani said the posts invoking the 9\/11 attacks are problematic not just because of the words, but because of “the actions that often accompany them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think too of the smaller indignities, the indignities that many New Yorkers face, but that Muslims are expected to face in silence,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cOf the exhaustion of having to explain yourself to those who are not interested in understanding. Of the men who introduce themselves by their given name only to be called Muhammad for years on end.\u201d<\/p>\n The stark silence from Republican leaders, including President Donald Trump, reflects a broader change in the party. After the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, Republican President George W. Bush visited the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., to explicitly warn against Muslim discrimination. <\/p>\n \u201cAmerica counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country,\u201d Bush said during the visit, adding: \u201cThey need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThose who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don\u2019t represent the best of America, they represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior,\u201d Bush said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n