House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sharia law in the U.S. is a “serious issue,” but that he spoke to two Republican lawmakers about their comments that have been slammed as Islamophobic.
Rep. Andy Ogles, Tennessee Republican, wrote on X Monday that “Muslims don’t belong in American society” and that “Pluralism is a lie.”
Rep. Randy Fine, Florida Republican, wrote in an X post last month that, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”
“Look, I’ve spoken to those members and all members as I always do about our tone and our messaging and what we say,” Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, told reporters while in Doral, Florida for the annual House GOP policy retreat.
“There’s a lot of energy in the country and a lot of popular sentiment that the demand to impose Sharia law in America is a serious problem,” he said. “That’s what animates this.”
Mr. Johnson said the comments made by the lawmakers are “different language than I would use,” but maintained that it’s a “serious issue.”
“Sharia law and the imposition of Sharia law is contrary to the U.S. Constitution,” he said.
In general, Sharia law is a comprehensive religious code of Islam governing all aspects of a Muslim’s life, including prayer and personal conduct.
Mr. Johnson said the Constitution maintains that “we respect everyone’s beliefs and their right to live out their beliefs and to speak freely about their beliefs and have that conviction.”
“But when you impose, when you seek to come to a country, and not assimilate but to impose Sharia law, Sharia law is in conflict with the U.S. Constitution,” he said. “That is the conflict that people are talking about. It is not about people as Muslims. It’s about those who seek to impose a different belief system that is in direct conflict with the Constitution.”
There has been growing concern among conservatives over the rise of Sharia law in the U.S., with Reps. Keith Self and Chip Roy, both Texas Republicans, creating a “Sharia Free America Caucus.”
Both Mr. Ogles and Mr. Fine are members of the caucus.
Neither Mr. Ogles nor Mr. Fine backed down on their comments when criticized by Democrats and others.
“Disgusting Islamophobes like you do not belong in Congress or in civilized society,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, wrote on X Monday about Mr. Ogles’s post.
Mr. Ogles went on to post several times criticizing “the high-ranking Democrats flooding X to condemn” him.
In one post he said, “My comments wouldn’t even be a news story if I had said this about Christians. Please spare me your moral outrage. Cry harder.”
Mr. Fine also pushed back when his post faced criticism, responding to posts with the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag adorned with an image of a dog.
