Kamal Ghorui
Indian-origin Congressman Shri Thanedar has criticised Republican lawmaker Andy Ogles after the Tennessee representative wrote on social media that “Muslims don’t belong in American society”.The dispute began when Rep. Andy Ogles posted on X: “Muslims don’t belong in American society. Pluralism is a lie.”Thanedar, a Democratic congressman from Michigan, responded: “The founders put freedom of religion in the FIRST Amendment for a reason. Muslims have lived in America since the 1600s. E Pluribus Unum, an ode to our pluralism, has been our country’s traditional motto since 1782. Maybe it’s YOUR values that don’t belong in American society.”Thanedar meant that the United States was founded on the idea of unity among diverse people and religions, so rejecting Muslims contradicts the country’s long-standing principle of pluralism.British journalist Mehdi Hasan also criticised Ogles’ remarks online. In a post on X, Hasan wrote: “Jews don’t belong in American society.”He added that such a statement from a member of Congress would normally provoke a national outcry.Hasan said: “Imagine a sitting member of Congress tweeting that. You can’t. Thankfully, it’d never happen. And if it did, it’d be the end of their career and the biggest story in America. But Ogles can say this about Muslims without any censure.”Ogles is a Republican politician known for strongly conservative positions, particularly on immigration and religion. He has proposed legislation aimed at restricting immigration from several countries with predominantly Muslim populations and has argued that large-scale Islamic immigration harms the United States.Ogles has also supported stricter immigration policies in general. In the past, he has suggested deporting certain immigrants or naturalised citizens whom he believes threaten American values.
