Mike Johnson declines to condemn Republicans’ anti-Muslim remarks

DORAL, Florida — Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday he has discussed “our tone and our message” with the two House Republicans who have made anti-Muslim remarks in recent days but defended the right of the lawmakers to oppose “the imposition of Sharia law.”

“Look, 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 at a news conference during the House GOP policy retreat at the Trump Doral resort. “That’s what animates me.”

Sharia law refers to a set of religious principles that guide devout Muslims, and Republicans often refer to it in the context of Islamic fundamentalism. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) posted on social media Monday that “Muslims don't belong in American society.”

“Pluralism is a lie,” he added, later following up with a graphic showing “what Islam offers” — some examples of which included “rape,” “beheadings” and “burning people alive.”

Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) wrote in a post on X last month that “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”

Neither Ogles nor Fine differentiated between the Muslim faith and Sharia law — which has been targeted by some Republican state legislatures. In U.S. courts, state and federal laws supersede religious rules.

Johnson has been under pressure to condemn the rhetoric, particularly from Ogles, but the Louisiana Republican suggested Tuesday only that he regretted the choice of words, not the sentiment.

“Our Constitution is the greatest in the world … and one of the principles that we believe in, stated first in the nation's birth certificate, is that all of us are created equal by God,” said Johnson Tuesday. “We respect everyone's beliefs and their right to live out their beliefs and to speak freely about their beliefs, and have that conviction.

“But when you seek to come to a country and not assimilate but to impose Sharia law … that is the conflict that people are talking about,” he added. “It’s not about people as Muslims, it is about people who seek to impose a different belief system that is in direct conflict with the Constitution."

The No. 3 Republican leader, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, also sidestepped a question about Ogles' "Muslims don't belong" post.

“People who refuse to assimilate and follow a radical ideology that seeks to commit violence and terrorist acts have no business being in this country,” he said.

Pressed on whether Muslims belong in American society, he named two prominent athletes: “I think Muhammad Ali. I think Ahmad Rashad. I think we've got plenty of examples of good people.”

Mia McCarthy contributed to this report.