Republican Congresswoman Miller Criticizes Sikh Prayer, Mistakenly Identifies Cleric As Muslim

Last Updated:June 07, 2025, 19:34 IST

Giani Singh, a Sikh religious leader from New Jersey, was misidentified by GOP’s Mary Miller in a now-deleted social media post.

Republican lawmaker Mary Miller drew backlash after wrongly calling Sikh granthi Giani Singh ‘Muslim’ and questioning his presence in the House prayer. (IMAGE: X/REUTERS)

US Republican lawmaker Mary Miller has drawn sharp criticism from both Democrats and members of her own party after she wrongly identified a Sikh religious leader as Muslim and said he should not have been allowed to lead the daily prayer in the US House of Representatives.

Giani Singh, a Sikh granthi from southern New Jersey, delivered the House’s morning prayer on Thursday after being invited by Congressman Jeff Van Drew.

Following this, Miller posted on X (formerly Twitter) saying it was “deeply troubling a Muslim was allowed to lead prayer in the House." She added, “This should have never been allowed to happen," and claimed that the United States was “founded as a Christian nation" and that its government should reflect that.

Miller later edited the post to refer to Singh as Sikh and then deleted it altogether. Her comments triggered widespread bipartisan outrage despite the deletion of the tweet.

“She looks darn ignorant," one Republican House member told Axios, the US news agency that first reported the development.

Another Republican, Nick LaLota, said, “A Sikh prayer on the House floor doesn’t violate the Constitution, offend my Catholic faith, or throttle my support for Israel. Live and let live".

Democrat Congressman Donald Norcross, who had earlier hosted Singh as a guest chaplain, said he was “deeply disappointed" by Miller’s remarks. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus said her post was “disgraceful" and accused her of “anti-Sikh and anti-Muslim bigotry".

Congressman Van Drew, who invited Singh, said in a statement that respecting all faiths is central to American values. “As a Catholic, I take my faith seriously and I also believe part of being American is respecting other people’s faiths too," he said. “The Sikh community is peaceful, generous, and deeply rooted in family and service, values we should all appreciate".

Miller, a right-wing conservative with a record of controversial remarks, has faced backlash before. In 2021, she said “Hitler was right on one thing" while speaking about youth, a statement she later apologised for. In 2022, she referred to the overturning of Roe v. Wade as a “victory for white life," which her office later claimed was a misreading of prepared remarks.

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...Read More

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...

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News world Republican Congresswoman Miller Criticizes Sikh Prayer, Mistakenly Identifies Cleric As Muslim