The US midterm elections are months away, and Republican politicians appear to be leaning into a tried-and-true method of whipping up support in their base: Islamophobia.
Experts say the US is seeing a rise of Islamophobia in general, and an increase in Islamophobic rhetoric among political figures in particular.
One of the last committee hearings on the schedule before Congress went into August recess last week was focused on countering the Muslim Brotherhood's influence in the US. During the hearing Senator Ted Cruz – the lone member of the committee to participate in the hearing after Democrats boycotted – attempted to draw lines between the now-sanctioned Muslim Brotherhood and other groups, as well as rising political figures like Michigan's Abdul El-Sayed.
In May, a group of Congressmen announced the founding of the Sharia-Free America Caucus, with Texas Representative Keith Self calling adherence to “extreme” Islamic law one of the “greatest threats facing our nation today”. The caucus now has nearly 70 members.
“If we do not fight back, Sharia will dominate our culture and America will no longer be America,” Mr Self said. “Under it, there's no true freedom of religion or speech, no equal rights and women are second-class citizens.”
As the US midterm elections approach, experts say Republican politicians are increasingly engaging in Islamophobic rhetoric as a way to sow fear among their support base.
Mobashra Tazamal is associate director of the Bridge Initiative at Georgetown University in Washington, a research programme aimed at raising awareness of Islamophobia. She says Islamophobic rhetoric – which she describes as being at an all-time high – is part of the “playbook” used to stir up fear in the Republican base.
“Muslims are used as scapegoats when things aren't going well,” she tells The National, highlighting dissatisfaction over the Iran war, rising petrol prices and economic uncertainty in the US.
In May, Texas Congressman Chip Roy introduced the Inhibiting Militant Adversarial Mullahs (Imam) Act, which aims to bar “anti-American foreign clerics who preach Sharia and political Islam” from the US.
Weeks before, Mr Roy introduced the Measures Against Marxism’s Dangerous Adherents and Noxious Islamists (Mamdani) Act, following the election of Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of New York City. The legislation proposes the deportation and/or denaturalisation of any person who is a member of a party, group or movement that “hates” America, including communist parties or organisations that advocate Islamic fundamentalism.
Congressman Randy Fine of Florida in February put forward a bill – Protect Puppies from Sharia – that would “prohibit federal funds from being provided to any state or local government that bans dogs as pets”. The proposed legislation came after Nerdeen Kiswani, a Palestinian activist in New York, said dogs were “unclean” and “NYC is coming to Islam” – comments she later said were a joke.
The National contacted the offices of Mr Cruz, Mr Self and Mr Roy but did not receive a response as of publishing.
Ms Tazamal said while congressional attempts to pass laws that would discriminate against Muslims could be described as showboating, due to Republicans' current control of Congress and the White House, there is a real possibility that some of these bills will pass.
“I've never seen this kind of state-level Islamophobic rhetoric – and I've been tracking this for 10 years,” she said.
Saher Selod is director of research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, a research organisation that provides information about Muslims in the US. She notes that ISPU's data indicates Islamophobia is on the rise.
“Sixty-three per cent of Muslims report experiencing religious discrimination in the past year, the highest of any group,” she tells The National, noting that voting for President Donald Trump and holding conservative views are the strongest predictors of harbouring Islamophobic sentiment.
Ms Selod says the scapegoating tactic is not new, highlighting how, after the September 11 terror attacks, politicians claimed Muslims were attempting to establish Sharia in the country.
“While Muslims should enjoy freedom of religion, the stereotypes of them as violent, a threat to national security … results in Muslims facing scrutiny and higher levels of discrimination from the state,” she said.
Since 2010, more than 230 bills that “institutionalise the othering of Muslims” have been introduced or enacted in US state legislatures, according to the University of California-Berkley's Islamophobia Legislative Database. The list includes bills that not only mention Islam specifically but those that propose protections against the application of “foreign laws” in the US.
One state at the vanguard of legislation targeting Muslims is Texas.
Ms Selod notes that Islamophobic rhetoric in the state is becoming even “more intense than what we saw in the immediate aftermath after 9/11". She says: “Some Republicans have gone so far as to advocate banning the hijab in Texas.”
Politicians in the state have also taken aim at the construction of a planned residential project outside of Dallas, spearheaded by the East Plano Islamic Centre. The faith-centred community would have a mosque and an Islamic school, but would be open to people of all backgrounds.
Mr Self and Mr Roy, among others, have demanded an investigation into the project, with Mr Self describing it as a “Sharia-adjacent enclave” that is “violating federal tax law, civil rights law, securities law and housing law”.
Ms Tazamal highlights that as Muslims become more politically active across the country, attempts to taint campaigns by making connections between candidates and shadowy terrorist activity – such as ties to the Muslim Brotherhood – are on the rise.
“But it didn't work with Zohran Mamdani, it didn't work with Abdul El-Sayed,” she says. Still, she notes “this strategy will outlast the GOP [Grand Old Party], because they have drilled down on it so hard, it's fixed in the minds of their base”.
