Muslim American advocacy groups said Republican lawmakers are using "Sharia-Free America" congressional hearings to promote anti-Muslim bigotry.
The conflict highlights a growing divide over the intersection of religious law and U.S. constitutional authority. These hearings occur amid heightened political tensions regarding the influence of foreign religious laws on domestic policy.
Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives held two hearings during the week of May 13-14 [1]. The second hearing took place on May 14 [2]. Lawmakers said the proceedings are intended to examine whether Sharia law is influencing U.S. policy.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said, "We are simply asking whether foreign religious law is being used to undermine our Constitution."
Advocacy organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the Muslim Public Affairs Council, rejected that premise. They said the hearings are an effort to stoke anti-Muslim sentiment and create political pressure.
"These hearings are a witch hunt designed to demonise Muslim Americans and advance a political agenda," Nihad Awad, Executive Director of CAIR, said.
A spokesperson for the Muslim Public Affairs Council said Republican lawmakers are casting these hearings as a way to make the United States safer, but Muslim groups see it as weaponisation of the legislative process.
The groups maintain that the legislative process is being misused to target a specific religious minority, a move they say serves a political purpose rather than a legal or security one.
“"These hearings are a witch hunt designed to demonise Muslim Americans and advance a political agenda."”
The dispute reflects a broader tension in U.S. politics where legislative oversight is viewed by critics as a tool for political theater. By framing the hearings around 'Sharia-Free America,' Republicans are tapping into long-standing debates over national security and constitutional supremacy, while advocacy groups warn that such rhetoric can lead to increased real-world discrimination against Muslim citizens.
