Speaker Johnson Addresses Sharia Law Concerns In US

A political firestorm erupted on Capitol Hill after Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., posted a blunt message on social media declaring, “Muslims don’t belong in American society,” prompting fierce backlash from Democrats and renewed debate about the role of religion and assimilation in the United States.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., addressed the controversy while speaking to reporters during House Republicans’ annual policy retreat in Miami. Johnson did not fully endorse Ogles’ wording but emphasized that concerns about Sharia law in the United States are growing among many Americans.

“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,” Johnson said.

He argued that the issue centers on the conflict between certain interpretations of Islamic law and the principles embedded in the U.S. Constitution.

“I think that that’s a serious issue. Sharia law and the imposition of Sharia law is contrary to the U.S. Constitution,” Johnson said.

The controversy began when Ogles posted his original statement on X, triggering swift condemnation from Democratic lawmakers who accused the Tennessee Republican of promoting religious discrimination.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., was among those demanding that Johnson publicly denounce the remarks, calling them hateful and unacceptable.

But Ogles quickly doubled down rather than backing off.

In a follow-up post responding to the outrage, the congressman dismissed the criticism and accused his opponents of selective outrage.

“My comments wouldn’t even be a news story if I had said this about Christians. Please spare me your moral outrage. Cry harder,” Ogles wrote.

Johnson later told reporters that Ogles’ wording was not how he personally would have framed the issue, but suggested the congressman may have been referring to concerns about immigrants refusing to assimilate into American civic culture.