Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was in fine form during an appearance on The Hill’s Rising this week, arguing that a “Muslim takeover” resulting in the implementation of Sharia law poses the greatest potential threat to the freedom of American women.
In the interview, host Niall Stanage asked Greene about a post she made following the success of Zohran Mamdani in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. The post, made to X, featured an image of the Statue of Liberty in a burqa, with Greene adding the caption, “This hits hard.”
When asked by Stanage what she meant by that, Greene responded, “I’m an American woman, and I have all the freedoms in the world to never have to bow to a religion that would force me to cover my body up and only see my eyes and my fingertips. And that is a major threat for all American women, and I think that’s something that hits hard for all women.”
When asked for clarification as to whether she made the post in response to the prospect of Mamdani becoming mayor of New York City, Greene responded that the threat was indeed that of a “Muslim takeover, or possibly Sharia law. That is a great threat to every single American woman. And I think that’s something all women should never want or allow to happen in America. And it’s important to talk about those things.“
Stanage responded with, “It’s up to the voters of New York City to elect whoever they wish to elect, whether that person is Muslim or Christian or Jewish or anything else…“ at which point Greene cut in and said, “Of course voters have the right to elect that and I’ll maintain my right to say that I think Sharia law and women being forced to wear burqas is the greatest threat to American women.”
Stanage then asked if Greene was opposed to Muslims holding elected office, to which she replied, “I am 100 percent opposed to Sharia law. One-hundred percent, unapologetically opposed to Sharia law in America.”
While the U.S. has several Muslim politicians, including Mamdani, as well as Greene’s fellow congresspeople André Carson (D-IN), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Lateefah Simon (D-CA), none have ever expressed an interest in implementing Sharia law in the United States. Mamdani ran on a platform that included policies such as free transportation on city buses, publicly-funded child care, and a rent freeze.
Greene’s comments are a drop in the ocean of racist abuse members of the Republican Party have hurled Mamdani’s way since his triumph in the primary on Tuesday. President Donald Trump labeled Mamdani a “communist lunatic,” adding that he “looks terrible,” while Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi calling for Mamdani, who he nicknamed “Little Muhammad,” to be deported. Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, moved to New York at the age of 7 and became a naturalized citizen in 2018.
While Greene and her fellow MAGA Republicans were focused on the threat Muslim politicians allegedly pose to American women, the Republican-controlled Supreme Court sided with South Carolina in its efforts to strip Planned Parenthood clinics of Medicaid funding. Planned Parenthood clinics saw over 2 million patients in 2024, making them the largest single provider of reproductive health services for women in the United States.
