Outrage after Member of Congress Disparages Sikh Prayer in US House

On 6 Jun, a US Republican congresswoman Mary Miller published—then deleted—a post on X saying that Giani Surinder Singh, a Sikh granthi (hymns’ reciter) from Gurdwara South Jersey Sikh Center in Vineland, New Jersey should not have delivered the House’s morning prayer. Miller mistakenly identified Singh as a Muslim and said that it was 'deeply troubling' someone of that faith had been allowed to lead prayer in the House and it 'should never have been allowed.' Miller continued, 'America was founded as a Christian nation, and I believe our government should reflect that truth, not drift further from it.' House minority Democrat leader, Hakeem Jeffries responded, 'It is deeply troubling that such an ignorant and hateful extremist is serving in the US Congress.' David Valadao, a Republican congressman of California, said, 'I’m troubled by my colleague’s remarks about this morning’s Sikh prayer...Sikh-Americans are valued and respected members of our communities, yet they continue to face harassment and discrimination.' The Sikh Coalition responded, 'To be clear, deleting the tweet is not enough. Congresswoman Miller should apologize for her remarks—to both the Sikh and Muslim communities, because no one should be targeted on the basis of their identity.' Meanwhile, a US Court sentenced an Indian origin man Bhushan Athale from Dallas, Texas to 26 months imprisonment. In 2022 and 2024, Athale had left seven voicemails for an employee of a Sikh non-profit based in New Jersey. Atahle had said, '(he would) cut the hair of every Sikh.' In another incident in the United Arab Emirates, Dalvinder Singh, an Amritdhari (initiated) Sikh from Kaithal, Haryana was forced to remove his kirpan (traditional sword) and turban, besides suffering humiliation in custody for 20 days. Dalvinder was part of a group visiting the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan (BAPS) Temple. On 7 Jun, Shiromani Akali Dal leader and Bathinda Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal appealed to India’s External Affairs minister S Jaishankar to initiate a dialogue with the UAE govt. to sensitize it about the religious significance of the five kakar (articles of faith) for Sikhs.