United States: Democrats denounce Republican calls to ban Muslims

American Democratic elected officials have strongly denounced the Islamophobic comments of two Republican officials after a shooting in Australia. Florida Congressman Randy Fine and Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville have called for banning Muslims from entering the United States or even deporting those already living there, making speeches equating Islam with a threat to the country.

These statements caused a wave of indignation within the Democratic Party. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described Randy Fine’s comments as “repugnant”, while Chuck Schumer, Chris Murphy and Patty Murray denounced words that were “vulgar”, “dangerous” and contrary to American values. Several democratic figures insisted on the need for firm and collective condemnation, believing that these attacks do not arise from freedom of expression but from a political strategy based on fear and stigma. They remind us that Muslim citizens are an integral part of American society and cannot be used as scapegoats for violence or political failures.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), for its part, designated Tommy Tuberville as an “anti-Muslim bigot”, a first for a sitting senator. The organization denounces rhetoric that fuels stigma and endangers Muslim citizens. These positions come in a broader climate of anti-Muslim escalation on the right, revived by the declarations of Donald Trump and the memory of the “Muslim ban” established during his first term.