(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/13/26) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today publicly released a formal statement and briefing materials that it shared with the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government ahead of an anti-Muslim congressional hearing that platforms “unhinged bigots” who seek to expel American Muslims and ban the practice of Islam in the United States.
CLICK HERE: READ CAIR’S SUBMITTED HEARING STATEMENT
WATCH: Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (PA) Exposes Anti-Muslim Bigotry of ‘Sharia Hoax’ Hearing
The hearing, titled “Sharia-Free America: Why Political Islam & Sharia Law are Incompatible with the U.S. Constitution: Part IIis scheduled to occur today.
The hearing is being organized by the leadership of the so-called “Sharia-Free America Caucus,” which CAIR previously designated as an anti-Muslim hate group. Its members have called for banning the practice of Islam, expelling American Muslims from the United States, and even “destroying” all mainstream Muslims.
The U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations also submitted a formal statement for the record condemning the hearing as discriminatory hate.
CLICK HERE: READ USCMO’S SUBMITTED HEARING STATEMENT
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert S. McCaw said:
“All Americans have the constitutional right to practice their faith and participate in public life without facing threats of discrimination, expulsion or violence, especially from members of Congress. That is why this second anti-Muslim congressional hearing is an attack not only on the American Muslim community, but on the First Amendment itself.
“After their first ‘Sharia hoax’ hearing failed to gain an audience, the leadership of the Muslim Extermination Caucus is desperate to try again by giving a platform to even more radical, unhinged witnesses.
“The reality is that American Muslims, like all Americans, have the constitutional right to practice their faith, support causes of justice, and participate in public life guided by their moral and religious values. Muslim civic engagement is democracy in action.
“This hearing is part of a broader political campaign to use American Muslims as a boogeyman to win Republican primaries, distract conservatives who increasingly recognize that the anti-Palestinian lobby has used Islamophobia as a tool to smear and silence American Muslims critical of unconditional U.S. support for Israel’s crimes, and normalize the false idea that Muslims are somehow less deserving of constitutional protections than other Americans.
“Republican and Democratic leaders should unequivocally reject the anti-Muslim hate and conspiracy theories being promoted through this hearing.”
CAIR notes that this second anti-Muslim “Sharia hoax” hearing comes after the caucus’s first hearing largely failed to gain meaningful traction, public attention, or support on Capitol Hill, with even some Republican lawmakers affirming during the previous hearing that the U.S. Constitution protects religious freedom for all Americans, including Muslims.
During the first hearing, CAIR provided congressional offices with briefing memoranda documenting the history of anti-Muslim rhetoric and extremism associated with several invited witnesses, submitted an official statement for the congressional record rebutting the hearing’s claims, distributed educational materials explaining how Sharia functions within American constitutional law, and closely monitored the proceedings in person on Capitol Hill.
CAIR’s submitted statement for today’s hearing pushes back against the hearing’s attack on Muslim community organizations and defends the constitutional right of American Muslims to participate fully in civic and political life without being subjected to collective suspicion, religious discrimination, or political intimidation.
CAIR is closely monitoring and tracking the hearing and has also reached out to members of the House Judiciary Committee to provide briefing materials documenting the history of anti-Muslim rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and extremist affiliations associated with several Republican-selected witnesses scheduled to testify during the hearing.
Among the scheduled witnesses is an previously anonymous Twitter user, Amy “Mek” Mekelburg of the hate group RAIR Foundation. CAIR’s Islamophobia project has documented RAIR Foundation’s history of promoting anti-Muslim hate, anti-immigrant racism, and associating with white nationalist figures and anti-Muslim extremists, including a Saudi atheist who went on to perpetrate a massacre
Another witness is affiliated with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which has promoted anti-Sharia narratives and supported Texas policy efforts targeting alleged “Sharia law” influence despite the absence of evidence that Islamic law is replacing constitutional law in the United States.
CAIR notes that anti-Sharia legislation promoted by anti-Muslim activists has repeatedly faced constitutional scrutiny because existing constitutional law already prohibits any religion from superseding the Constitution or civil law.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com