WASHINGTON, D.C. – With more than 1000 Muslims traveling to the nation’s capital last week for the 11th National Muslim Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill, Texas was cited as a state of increased Islamophobia.
Hosted by the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations, this two-day event saw advocates calling attention to what they believe to be the most pressing issues that the Muslim community is facing.
“We would like elected representatives in Congress to know their Muslim constituents, hear their concerns, and hopefully, God willing, act on them,” Robert McCaw, committee chair for Muslim Hill Day and board chair of the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations, said.
The event in Washington was held in light of rising anti-Muslim sentiments as the war in Iran and the conflict between Israel and Gaza continue.
The themes of the advocacy day focused on pushing back on Islamophobia in Congress, comprehensive immigration reform and human rights-centered policy that labels what is happening in Gaza as genocide.
Advocates expressed anger over recent comments from Representative Andy Ogles, Republican - TN. In March, Ogles posted “Muslims don’t belong in American society. Pluralism is a lie” on the social media platform X. Ogles’ office has not responded to requests for a comment.
Representative Al Green, Democrat - Texas, joined advocates at a press conference on April 21 and discussed his recent resolution to formally and officially condemn Ogles.
“What this representative did, and what the President of the United States has done on certain occasions, all of these things are unacceptable,” Green said regarding why he put forward his resolution.
Many advocates also expressed their concern over the recent vilification of Sharia law. Representatives Keith Self and Chip Roy recently created the “Sharia Free America Caucus,” which they claim aims to preserve American values.
“Sharia stands in direct opposition to our country and is totally anathema to the concept of individual freedom and our founding principles,” Self said in a recent press release.
Advocates harshly refuted this claim. “For Muslims, Sharia is simply a way of life, a moral framework that guides everyday practices… at its core, it emphasizes justice, mercy, and human dignity. It requires Muslims to follow the laws of the land we live in, like the U.S Constitution,” Sameeha Rizvi, the Civic Engagement Organizer with the Council on American Islamic Relations Texas, said during the press conference.
The Council on American Islamic Relations was recently designated as a foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organization in Texas by Governor Greg Abbott in November. The Council’s legal team responded to these claims by saying that Abbott is incorrect and spreading debunked conspiracy theories.
Faruq Baqi, the deputy director of public relations for Muslims of America, said one reason he joined advocates on the Hill was to express his discontent with politicians who describe Muslims and Sharia Law as un-American.
“It’s a concerted effort amongst the GOP to demonize Muslims in a very reckless manner… [the GOP] wants to have some kind of demon, some kind of bad guy out there so people don’t focus on the economy, and focus on civil rights, and focus on those things that really matter,” Baqi said.
At the two-day event, advocates held up signs that said “Faith is a right, not a threat” and “hope over hate.”
Advocates fear that these acts of Islamophobia by members of Congress could have broader, worse implications if they remain unchecked. “States like Texas and Florida, they have now become the epicentre of anti-Muslim hate, where we are seeing this trend rise. But we’re also seeing part of a broader national pattern of discrimination targeting Muslim communities,” McCaw said.
From a House Office meeting where signs expressed messages of unity and hope, “We are your constituents, and we are part of this country. Yesterday and today, we brought one of the largest delegations from Texas for Muslim Hill Day. People of all races, ages, and backgrounds, united by our faith and our shared belief in the promise of this country. Not in spite of who we are, but because of it,” Rizvi said.
Olivia Ardito is a graduate student in journalism with Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a“ Steel Across America” event ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks on the Ellipse near the White House on Sept. 8, 2026 in Washington, D.C. President Trump welcomed 9/ 11 first responders to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation’ s“ Steel Across America” event featuring a 16,900- pound, 21- foot steel beam recovered.
For Trump, even 9/11 is an opportunity
There was a reason organizers of the 9/11 ceremony in Manhattan told President Trump he could not speak at this year’s memorial service.
A good one, it turns out.
Because in a speech he gave on Tuesday in Washington, he did exactly what they were presumably worried about — he made it about himself.
According to The New York Times, Trump had wanted a speaking role at the service, but the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum, which oversees the site, said no, as they’ve maintained for the past decade-plus that the venue and event should be nonpartisan.
Trump has long used awful tragedies to either puff himself up, trash political opponents, or sell lies to the American people.
He blamed a deadly plane crash at Washington National Airport last year on diversity, equity and inclusion policies. He blamed Puerto Ricans for the devastation they endured after Hurricane Maria in 2017. He reportedly considered withholding disaster relief after the California wildfires based on the way affected regions voted. In an interview on Fox News meant to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, he used the occasion to slam former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi…with graves of the dead behind him.
And now, as we approach the 25th anniversary of what many New Yorkers consider the darkest day in modern history, Trump has done it again.
He told a rambling, nonsensical story — one he’s told before — about going to Ground Zero just after terrorists flew two commercial jets into the twin towers. In the story, which no one has been able to verify, despite multiple attempts, he says firefighters had to carry him out of One Liberty Plaza, also known as the U.S. Steel Building, because they thought it was about to collapse.
As CNN fact checker Daniel Dale notes, there’s no evidence Trump went into this building, especially at a time when NYPD and NYFD had locked down the area. There’s no evidence that building was collapsing — in fact, it was deemed structurally sound and reopened within two months of the attacks. There’s no evidence he was carried out of it by firefighters.
But the lie isn’t even the worst part. Pretend it was all true — why would the leader of our country, and a New Yorker, decide to make that tragic day about himself?
Because that’s who Donald Trump is. He’s a malignant narcissist.
He’s also, incidentally, a terrible and ineffectual president, who’s made ill-fated decisions that he has to keep defending, and there’s nothing he won’t do to make himself look and feel better.
Within the first two minutes of his speech, he was cravenly using 9/11 to justify and promote his dumb war in Iran — two events separated by 25 years and 6,000 miles.
“And I will tell you, we’re right now fighting because we have a certain nation that wanted a nuclear weapon, they were very close to getting it, and now they have no chance at getting it. They will never have a nuclear weapon. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. And they’ve been punished greatly. As you know, we’ve really taken it to them.”
As a New Yorker who lived through 9/11, still one of the worst days of my life, I’m utterly sickened by Trump’s crass, political, and self-promotional framing of that awful day.
And I’m relieved he won’t be given a platform to do it again on Friday’s anniversary in lower Manhattan.
Because for Trump, everything is his for the taking, and absolutely nothing is sacred.
S.E. Cupp is the host of "S.E. Cupp Unfiltered" on CNN.