PRESS STATEMENT: CAIR-Chicago, CAIR National Condemn Indiana Lt. Gov’s Anti-Muslim Rhetoric, Christian Supremacist Claims, False Claims About Constitution
(CHICAGO, IL, 7/10/2026) – The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) and CAIR, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith's latest anti-Muslim remarks, in which he falsely described the Islamic call to prayer (adhan) as "words of death and destruction," claimed the United States is a "Christian nation," and incorrectly asserted that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Christianity takes precedence over all other religions.
SEE: Indiana's Lt. Gov. says Muslims shouldn't be allowed to have "public calls to prayer"
During a recent interview, Beckwith stated, "We're not going to let you put these words of death and destruction throughout the city streets..."
He also claimed, "We are a Christian nation," and falsely asserted that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled America's Christian heritage gives Christianity precedence over all other faiths.
In a statement, CAIR-Chicago Communications Director Hafsa Haider said:
"Lieutenant Governor Beckwith is once again exploiting his public office to spread anti-Muslim fearmongering and constitutional misinformation. The adhan is a peaceful call to prayer recited by Muslims around the world for more than fourteen centuries. To portray it as a call to 'death and destruction' is not only offensive—it is a malicious falsehood that demonizes an entire faith and the millions of Americans who practice it.
"His assertion that Christianity enjoys constitutional precedence over every other religion is equally false. The Constitution guarantees religious liberty for every American, not government preference for one faith over another. No Supreme Court decision has declared the United States a 'Christian nation' or held that Christianity takes legal precedence over any other religion. Public officials should be defending the constitutional rights of all Americans—not promoting religious hierarchy or vilifying minority faith communities."
This is not the first time Beckwith has made inflammatory remarks targeting Islam and Muslims. In May, he declared, "I hate Islam. It's a demonic death cult," and suggested Americans need "permission to hate again."
At the time, CAIR and CAIR-Chicago condemned those remarks and invited Beckwith to visit an Indiana mosque and engage with his Muslim constituents rather than spread dangerous stereotypes about their faith.
Beckwith's latest remarks also fundamentally misrepresent constitutional law. While the Supreme Court's decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District addressed a public school football coach's personal religious expression, it did not declare the United States a "Christian nation" or establish Christianity as the nation's preferred religion. The First Amendment prohibits the establishment of religion while protecting the free exercise of religion for all Americans.
CAIR-Chicago urges elected officials to reject religious bigotry, uphold the Constitution's guarantee of equal religious liberty, and refrain from rhetoric that stigmatizes religious minorities or undermines the freedoms they are sworn to protect.
CAIR-Chicago's mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.
CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; Hafsa Haider, Communications Director, 561-317-7509, hhaider@cair.com