Republican lawmaker slammed for 'hateful' post about Sikh congressional chaplain
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Kenyan Muslims pray for Gaza as they celebrate Eid Al-Adha
As Muslims around the world celebrated Eid Al-Adha on Friday in Nairobi Kenya, the gathered crowds prayed for their fellow Muslims in Gaza.
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WASHINGTON – A Republican congresswoman from Illinois is under bipartisan criticism after saying that a Sikh man should "never have been allowed" to serve as the guest chaplain in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In a since-deleted post on X, Rep. Mary Miller wrote on June 6 that it was "deeply troubling that a Sikh was allowed to lead prayer" in the U.S. Capitol.
"This should have never been allowed to happen," she wrote. "America was founded as a Christian nation, and I believe our government should reflect that truth, not drift further from it."
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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