GOP lawmaker slammed for 'hateful' post about congressional chaplain
Initially, Miller misidentified the man, Giani Surinder Singh of the Gurdwara South Jersey Sikh Society, as Muslim. Her X account later edited the post to correctly describe him as Sikh before deleting the comment entirely.
Muslims are adherents to Islam. Sikhism is a different religion, the fifth largest in the world. It was founded in the Punjab region of South Asia. There are roughly 750,000 Sikhs in the United States, according to the Sikh Coalition.
A spokesperson for Miller did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Miller's remarks swiftly prompted backlash from Democrats and Republicans.
"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," wrote Rep. Nick LaLota, R-New York, on X. "Live and let live."
Rep. David Valadao, R-California, also said he was "troubled" by Miller's post.
Democratic leadership denounced Miller's comments, too.
"It's deeply troubling that such an ignorant and hateful extremist is serving in the United States Congress," Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote on X. "That would be you, Mary."
Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
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