AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): American Islamic organizations have announced that hearings in the U.S. Congress have become a tool against Muslim minorities and are being exploited through the creation of fear and terror regarding Muslims. This protest came after Republicans held sessions aimed at a "Sharia-Free America."
According to a report by Al Jazeera, the American Council of Islamic Organizations, representing over 50 Islamic groups, condemned what it called the arming of the government against American Muslims, stating that these hearings promote a policy of fear-mongering.
Zainab Chaudry, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Maryland, said, "Anti-Sharia hearings are not held to protect the Constitution, but are designed to distort the image of Islam and portray American Muslims as perpetual foreigners."
On the other hand, Jamie Raskin, a Democratic representative and senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, said, "These hearings are merely a diversion of public opinion and target religious freedom."
Republicans, who hold the majority in both chambers of the U.S. Congress, titled the subcommittee hearing under the House Judiciary Committee held last Wednesday as "Sharia-Free America: Why Political Islam and Islamic Sharia Are Incompatible with the U.S. Constitution." A similar hearing was also held last February.
Imposition of Political Islam
Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican, claimed at the hearing that "extremists seeking to impose political Islam do not want to coexist with American culture and political system; they want to replace it."
These remarks came despite no evidence indicating that mainstream Islamic groups in the United States have sought to implement Sharia in the country.
Critics say such hearings target Muslims for humiliation and revive stereotypes and conspiracy theories against them, while there is no need for such hearings because U.S. laws are supreme on American soil.
Human rights advocates in the United States have documented a rise in Islamophobia in recent years, attributing it to the September 11 attacks, anti-immigration policies, white supremacist theories, and the consequences of Israel's war on Gaza.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has announced that it recorded 8,683 complaints related to anti-Muslim and anti-Arab actions in 2025—the highest number since it began publishing such statistics in 1996.
Additionally, a study published in April by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate shows that anti-Muslim bias among elected Republican officials in the United States has sharply increased since early 2025. The report refers to over 1,100 online posts published by Republican members of Congress and governors.
Republican governors of Florida and Texas have also described CAIR as a terrorist group—a claim condemned by the Council and other human rights organizations.
CAIR has opposed the strict immigration policy of Republican U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as the crackdown on pro-Palestine demonstrations.
**************
End/ 345E
