AILSA CHANG, HOST:
In recent days, several Republican lawmakers have drawn condemnation for using anti-Muslim rhetoric. It's not the first time that the party has had to confront hateful language from within its own ranks, but unlike in past political eras, these comments have faced little pushback from Republican leaders. NPR congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt joins us now. Hi, Barbara.
BARBARA SPRUNT, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: OK, let's start with this tweet from Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles. This was from earlier this week, right? He posted, quote, "Muslims don't belong in American society." Tell us more about who Ogles is.
SPRUNT: He is a second-term congressman in a relatively safe red district, which, incidentally, is home to tens of thousands of Muslim constituents. But this isn't the first time that he's trafficked in this type of language. He gave a speech last year where he said, quote, "America is and must always be a Christian nation." The United States was not established as a Christian nation. I think the Founding Fathers would have a few words to say about that. But what I was interested in, Ailsa, was how leadership would respond to this.
CHANG: Yeah, let's talk about that. Let's take a listen to what House Speaker Mike Johnson had to say about this tweet from Ogles.
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MIKE JOHNSON: There's a lot of energy in the country and a lot of popular sentiment that the demand to impose Sharia law on America is a serious problem. That's what animates this.
CHANG: How aligned do you think the speaker is with other Republicans on the Hill about this?
SPRUNT: Well, he's echoing a much trend among congressional Republicans. There's been a lot of posts about Sharia Law. There's a Sharia-free America caucus that now has 50 Republican members. Sharia refers to rules devout Muslims follow in life, like praying five times a day, avoiding pork. It's a religious framework, not a plan to replace the Constitution. And if you listen to the rest of what Johnson said, he added that this isn't about Muslims as people. But critics say by framing this answer around Sharia law, it gives cover for bigoted language.
CHANG: Well, are other Republicans chiming in with more anti-Muslim language right now?
SPRUNT: Yes, including Florida Congressman Randy Fine, who tweeted yesterday, quote, "we need more Islamophobia, not less." He and others have pointed to a string of recent attacks in New York and Virginia, each involving suspects who, according to authorities, were either inspired by ISIS or had supported the group in the past. Now, these types of attacks are frightening, absolutely. And, like with other attacks, including those committed by people who are not Muslim, the actions of one person just don't represent an entire group.
CHANG: Absolutely. OK, well, Democrats have condemned this as anti-Muslim bigotry, but how much are congressional Republicans also calling this out?
SPRUNT: You know, there have been a few Republicans who've done so. But for the sake of comparison, if we cast back to 2019, Steve King, a Republican congressman from Iowa, did an interview in which he questioned why the terms white nationalist and white supremacist are considered offensive. And Republican leaders not only denounced his remarks, they kicked him off of his committees, which is, you know, a tangible punishment on Capitol Hill. And it's just striking to me, Ailsa, how different that feels from what we've seen this week.
CHANG: Yeah. I mean, Barbara, what do you think all of this says about the political moment that we're in right now?
SPRUNT: I think this is a sign it's a different era, one that was ushered in by President Trump, you know, aside from his calls for a ban on Muslims immigrating to the U.S. The Trump playbook is never apologize. Don't back down. And if we think about this from a politician's viewpoint, you know, lawmakers say things because they either believe them or it's politically advantageous for them. And so the fact that so few are denouncing these comments and more people are using rhetoric like this - it tells me that they think this is beneficial for them politically.
CHANG: That is NPR congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt. Thank you, Barbara.
SPRUNT: Thank you, Ailsa. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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