Rep. Mary Miller
Civil rights groups and religious advocacy organizations are demanding an apology from Rep. Mary Miller after the Illinois Republican misidentified a Sikh chaplain as Muslim and criticized his participation in the U.S. House of Representatives’ daily prayer.
Miller sparked outrage in a now-deleted social media post on X. She wrote, “It’s deeply troubling that a Muslim was allowed to lead prayer in the House of Representatives this morning. This should never have been allowed to happen. America was founded as a Christian nation, and I believe our government should reflect that truth, not drift further from it. May God have mercy!”
The religious leader, Giani Surinder Singh, is a Sikh chaplain from New Jersey who was invited to participate in the House’s long-standing tradition of welcoming clergy from diverse faiths.
The Sikh Coalition, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and other groups condemned Miller’s remarks as ignorant and discriminatory, urging her to issue a formal apology and reaffirm a commitment to religious freedom.
Lawmakers across the aisle, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Republican Reps. David Valadao of California and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, also denounced the comments as un-American.
As of Thursday, Miller had not apologized publicly.