Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller is facing criticism after she said it was “troubling” that a Muslim led the morning prayer in US Congress, and then changed her social media post once she learnt that it was a Sikh who had spoken.
“America was founded as a Christian nation, and I believe our government should reflect that truth,” she wrote in her social media post on X on Friday.
The representative later removed her post after being admonished by both her Democratic and Republican colleagues.
“Mary, you’re a racist, bigoted, disgusting, and shameful person, you don’t deserve to represent anyone in public office,” wrote Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost.
The man who led the prayer, Giani Surinder Singh of the Gurdwara South Jersey Sikh Society, was invited to be the morning guest chaplain by Republican Representative Jeff Van Drew, according to Politico.
Republican Representative David Valadao took Ms Miller to task for her post.
“I'm troubled by my colleague's remarks about this morning's Sikh prayer, which have since been deleted,” he wrote on X.
“Religious freedom is one of our nation’s founding principles, and I started the American Sikh Congressional Caucus to draw attention to this very issue and work towards religious tolerance for all.”
Representative Miller's comments, which were also widely considered to be Islamophobic, came on the first day of Eid Al Adha, one of the most important holidays of Islam.
Morning invocations are not unusual in the US Congress, and are often given by religious leaders and figures.
