In her first post since then, Illinois Rep. Mary Miller misidentified a Sikh man who was a Muslim guest pastor in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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WASHINGTON – Illinois Republicans have been receiving bipartisan criticism after saying that Sikh men should have been “never allowed” to serve as guest pastors in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In a subsequent post to X, Rep. Mary Miller wrote on June 6th at the Capitol, “It’s deeply troubling that Sikhs were allowed to lead prayers.”
“This should never happen,” she wrote. “America was founded as a Christian nation. I think our government should reflect that truth and then reflect that truth rather than drifting from it.”
Initially, Miller misinterpreted Gianni Slinder Singh of the Gaardwara South Jersey Sikh Association as a Muslim. Her X account later edited the post and correctly described him as a Sikh before deleting the comment completely.
Muslims are supporters of Islam. Sikhism is another religion, the fifth largest in the world. It was established in the Punjab region of South Asia. According to the Sikh Union, there are around 750,000 Sikhs in the United States.
A Miller spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Miller’s comments prompted a backlash from Democrats and Republicans.
“The Sikh prayers on the floor of the house fell into a week of Christian prayers and the next Jewish prayers. They do not violate the constitution, anger the Catholic faith, or support Israel.”
R-California Rep. David Valadao also said Miller’s post was “troubled.”
Democrat leaders also denounced Miller’s comments.
“It is deeply troublesome that these ignorant and hateful extremists serve in the US Congress.
Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA Today. You can contact him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @Zachschermele and follow Bluesky at @Zachschermele.bsky.social.
