Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) is facing bipartisan criticism after she incorrectly identified a Sikh man as Muslim and said it is “deeply troubling” that he delivered the morning prayer on the US House floor.
On Friday, Miller wrote that the man, Giani Surinder Singh – a member of the Gurudwara South Jersey Sikh Society– “should have never been allowed” to deliver the prayer.
“It’s deeply troubling that a Muslim was allowed to lead prayer in the House of Representatives this morning. This should have never been allowed to happen. America was founded as a Christian nation, and I believe our government should reflect that truth, not drift further from it,” she wrote.
Miller later edited the post to replace “Muslim” with “Sikh,” then deleted it altogether.
The congresswoman received bipartisan backlash over the xenophobic post.
“It’s deeply troubling that such an ignorant and hateful extremist is serving in the United States Congress. That would be you, Mary,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) wrote in a post on X.
“A Sikh prayer on the House floor—followed by a Christian prayer one week and a Jewish prayer the next—doesn’t violate the Constitution, offend my Catholic faith, or throttle my support for Israel. Live and let live,” Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) wrote.
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus also condemned Miller’s comments in a statement writing, “Sikhs and Muslims practice two separate and distinct religions, and conflating the two based on how someone looks is not only ignorant but also racist.”
Miller, a far-right lawmaker, is no stranger to making inflammatory comments.
In 2021 Miller, then a newly elected lawmaker, made headlines after she quoted Hitler in a speech to supporters at the Capitol.
“Hitler was right on one thing. He said, ‘Whoever has the youth has the future.’ Our children are being propagandized,” Miller said.
She later apologized and claimed she was “passionately pro-Israel” and “a strong advocate and ally of the Jewish community.”
Miller has also called the overturning to Roe v. Wade a “historic victory for white life.” Her campaign later said she misread her remarks.
