PRESS STATEMENT: CAIR-Chicago Condemns ‘Sharia-Free America Caucus’ as Threat to Religious Freedom; Calls on Rep. Mary Miller to Withdraw and Keep Illinois Hate-Free
(CHICAGO, IL, 3/23/26) — The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) today strongly condemned the newly formed so-called “Sharia-Free America Caucus” as an attempt to undermine the constitutional rights and religious freedom of millions of Americans and promote harmful misinformation about Islam.
CAIR-Chicago specifically called on Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL15) to immediately withdraw from the caucus and reaffirm her commitment to protecting the religious freedom of all Illinois residents.
[NOTE: Previously, CAIR designated the “Sharia-Free America Caucus” as an anti-Muslim hate group. This is the first time in CAIR’s 32-year history that the organization has designated a congressional caucus as an extremist organization. SEE: CAIR Designates House’s ‘Sharia-Free Caucus’ an Anti-Muslim Hate Group]
“Let’s be clear: ‘shariah’ simply means ‘path’ in Arabic,” said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab. “Every major faith tradition has its own form of religious law - or shariah - guiding personal and private communal practice. Muslims follow Islamic shariah principles; Christians follow Christian shariah principles (canon law); Jews follow Jewish shariah principles (halakha). These systems govern personal aspects of religious life—such as diet, prayer, marriage, and burial rites—and are protected under the First Amendment.”
“Does congresswoman Miller suggest that Muslim burial rites should be outlawed in IL as opposed to the burial rites of other religions, for example? Or that Muslims be banned from refraining from eating pork at restaurants? Or that Muslims must be forced to pray at churches or synagogues instead of mosques? That is what this caucus is in fact suggesting by calling for ‘Shariah free’ states. This absurdity designed to divide Americans by dumbing them down must stop.”
Rehab emphasized that there is no effort by American Muslims to impose Islamic religious law on the U.S. Constitution or on non-Muslims, and that such claims are baseless and rooted in long-debunked Islamophobic conspiracy theories.
“Religious Americans of all faiths must remain free to practice their beliefs freely within the framework of the Constitution. That is not a threat—that is the very essence of American liberty,” Rehab added. “Those who know a thing or two about American history, know that the quest for religious freedom free from state interference was in fact how America came about in the first place.”
Rehab warned of a real and growing concern: attempts by some public officials to blur the line between church and state. “Ironically, the only genuine threat of religious imposition in public life comes from those who seek to privilege one religion over others,” Rehab stated, pointing to public remarks by Rep. Miller calling for the “return of Jesus” in public schools.
Rehab also highlighted troubling rhetoric associated with the caucus and its founders, including past anti-Muslim statements and inflammatory public comments. Caucus co-founders Representative Randy Fine (R-FL) compared Muslims to dogs while Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN) recently argued that the US military must fight religious wars on behalf of Christians and stated that “Muslims do not belong in America,” while Representative Keith Self (R-TX) declared that Muslims are the enemy within.
Rehab noted that Rep. Miller herself previously faced bipartisan condemnation from Republican and Democratic leaders, Jewish organizations, and civil rights groups after invoking language associated with Adolf Hitler—an incident for which she later apologized.
“Those same organizations and leaders who rightly condemned Miller’s hateful rhetoric must now speak out again—this time against policies and initiatives that seek to chill the religious freedoms of American Muslims and other minority communities,” Rehab said.
Rehab further called on members of the Illinois congressional delegation, particularly those representing districts neighboring Rep. Miller’s, to publicly oppose the caucus and reaffirm Illinois’ long-standing commitment to pluralism, inclusion, and constitutional protections.
“CAIR-Chicago unequivocally opposes the imposition of religious law—of any religion—on the United States government. We stand firmly for the separation of church and state, and for every American’s right to practice their faith freely without fear or discrimination. Efforts by elected officials to stigmatize one faith community or erode these foundational guarantees must be rejected and loudly condemned.”
Since the beginning of the war on Iran, researchers at the Center for the Study of Organized Hate have documented an 11-fold amplification of online anti-Muslim hate.
CAIR-Chicago’s mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance
CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; Hafsa Haider, Communications Director of CAIR-Chicago, 561-317-7509, hhaider@cair.com