• CAIR’s letter to Democratic offices thanks members who have spoken out against anti-Muslim hate and urges concrete action to address it.
• CAIR’s letter to Republican offices urges party leaders to support religious freedom for all Americans, including American Muslims
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced that it has sent two separate letters to every office in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate addressing the recent rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric from elected officials.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert S. McCaw, who authored the letters, said:
“We thank the many Democratic members of Congress who have spoken out against anti-Muslim hate and defended the First Amendment rights of American Muslims. Republican leaders must now show the same commitment to the Constitution by standing up and clearly rebuking anti-Muslim bigotry, even when it comes from members of their own caucus.
“When elected officials claim that Muslims do not belong in American society or that mainstream Muslims should be destroyed, they are not just targeting one community; they are endangering religious freedom for all Americans.”
On Friday, CAIR sent a letter to Democratic congressional offices, thanking those members who have publicly spoken out against anti-Muslim bigotry and defended the equal citizenship of American Muslims.
The other letter sent to Republican congressional offices, urged party leaders and members to reaffirm their commitment to religious freedom and clearly reject anti-Muslim hate speech and conspiracy theories promoted by some GOP members of Congress.
The letters were distributed to Chiefs of Staff, Legislative Directors, and Communications Directors for every House and Senate office.
In recent weeks, several members of Congress have made inflammatory statements targeting Muslims. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) declared that “Muslims don’t belong in American society” and that “pluralism is a lie,” while Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) has called for the destruction of “mainstream Muslims.” Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) also amplified anti-Muslim rhetoric by sharing a post portraying New York City’s first Muslim mayor as an internal “enemy” by pairing imagery of the Sept. 11 attacks with a photograph of the mayor hosting a Ramadan iftar at City Hall.
Rather than clearly condemning such rhetoric, House Speaker Mike Johnson justified it by arguing that Rep. Ogles and others have legitimate concerns about the (imaginary) “imposition of sharia law” in America.
Last week, Speaker Johnson himself dabbled in anti-Muslim hate when he attempted to frame the U.S.-Israel war on Iran as a religious war, claiming that Iranians follow a “misguided religion.”
CAIR also noted that the House’s so-called 50+ Republican member “Sharia-Free America Caucus,” which the organization formally designated an anti-Muslim hate group, has promoted legislation and conspiracy theories portraying Islam as incompatible with American society.
CAIR’s recently released 2026 Civil Rights Report, “The Right to Be Different,” documented 8,683 reports of anti-Muslim bias incidents in 2025, the highest number recorded in a single year since CAIR began tracking complaints in 1996.
In its letters, CAIR also encouraged support for upcoming congressional Ramadan and Eid resolutions, which reaffirm the place of Muslim Americans within the religious and civic fabric of the United States.
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 Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@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