(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The supposedly conservative Republicans allowed a Sikh to lead the House of Representatives in prayer Friday morning. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., initially criticized the move, but backtracked after she incorrectly identified the Sikh, Giani Singh from southern New Jersey, as a “Muslim.”
“It’s deeply troubling that a Muslim was allowed to lead a prayer in the House of Representatives this morning,” Miller wrote on X. “This should have never been allowed to happen.”
She added that America was founded as a Christian nation and said the “government should reflect that truth, not drift further from it.”
“May God have mercy,” she continued.
The Illinois Republican quickly deleted the post, then reposted it with a correction, changing “Muslim” to “Sikh.” That newer version was also deleted shortly after.
Rep. Mary Miller says in a since-edited post it was "deeply disturbing" that a "Muslim" led morning prayer in the House (it was actually a Sikh man, Giani Singh, who'd been welcomed by Rep. Jeff Van Drew) pic.twitter.com/PvoPhImA4h
— Nicholas Wu (@nicholaswu12) June 6, 2025
Both Democrats and RINOs quickly pounced on Miller’s remarks.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., who invited Singh to deliver the prayer, stood by the move, affirming that being American also meant “respecting other people’s faiths too.” Van Drew is the same congressman who floated the crackpot theory that the New Jersey drone sightings earlier this year were coming from an Iranian ship off the coast.
“I was proud to invite a Sikh chaplain to open the House with prayer this morning,” Van Drew told Axios. “The Sikh community is peaceful, generous, and deeply rooted in family and service, values we should all appreciate, no matter our religion.”
He added: “What makes America special is that we can honor different these [sic] traditions while staying true to our own. I’ll always stand for that kind of mutual respect.”
Harmeet K. Dhillon, the associate attorney general for the Civil Rights Division and herself a Sikh, also hit back at critics.
Responding to a conservative commentator sharing the video of Singh praying, Dhillon wrote: “This is a Sikh. Please try to educate yourself. There are over half a million Sikhs in America.”
However, numerous American conservatives sided with Rep. Miller.
“Half a million is nothing, this is a Christian nation,” conservative commentator Sarah Stock responded.
Half a million is nothing, this is a Christian nation
— Sarah Stock ✟ (@sarahcstock) June 7, 2025
“This is a foreigner who proves assimilation is a myth. There are over 40 million people just like him in America,” added right-wing Twitter account, The Prudentialist.
Dhillon also faced criticism after she delivered a Sikh prayer to the “one true God” at the Republican National Convention, following an assassination attempt he narrowly survived.
