Ogles Is One of 46 Members of the New Sharia-Free America Caucus

by Rod Williams, March 18, 2026- Sharia law is perceived to be such a threat by some members of Congress that they have formed a special caucus to guard against it. And wouldn't you know it; our own Andy Ogles is a member. 

Ogles, is the only member of the Tennessee delegation to join the Sharia-Free America Caucus. “Islam is a religion of violence, abuse of women, and ruthless political conquest. Its laws and practices have no place in American society,” said Ogles about joining the Caucus. “Islam is conquering Europe, and I refuse to let it conquer America,” he added.

Of course, Sharia law as a moral code of conduct, dietary law, or rules for governing personal finances is a threat to no one. If a Muslim does not eat pork, that is no more of a threat to me than if a Baptist abstains from alcohol. If a Muslim woman wears a hijab, that is not more of a threat to me than if a Jew wears a yarmulke or a Mormon wears holy underwear.  

As far as Sharia law as a system of general law governing society, there is no need to ban it. The Constitution already establishes our form of government, and any law contrary to the Constitution is already banned. 

It would seem there is a much greater threat from White Christian Nationalism than Sharia law, but I don't think we necessarily need a White Christian Nationalism-Free Caucus. 

I am concerned about the inroads of holocaust denialism, the acceptance of Nazis, and the historic revisionism sympathetic to Hitler that is being made in the Republican Party. I don't see a need for a special caucus to guard against this, however. 

I'm not sure what is going on. Either Andy Ogles is virtue signaling and pandering to the Christian Bubba base of the MAGA movement, or he really is that dumb. Of course, it could be some of both.

Pandering or being just dumb about the threat of Sharia would not be new in Tennessee politics. You may remember way back in about 2010 to about 2015 when anti-Sharia hysteria was rampant in Tennessee, when there was a massive effort to stop a mosque from being built in Murfreesboro, or when Governor Bill Haslam was accused of plotting to impose Sharia law on Tennessee. You may remember when popular conservative firebrand radio host Steve Gill said Sharia Law was already here. That was because a Saudi airline leased space at an airport and stipulated that the restaurant in that space would be alcohol-free. 

The best example of ignorance and hysteria around the issue of Sharia law is that of two lawmakers, state senator Bill Ketron and state representative Judd Matheny, who in 2013 reportedly raised questions about the installation of a new floor-level sink in the state capitol that, they theorized, could be for Muslims to wash their feet before prayer. These same two men had sponsored a bill in 2011 that made the enforcement of sharia law punishable by up to 15 years in jail in Tennessee. It tuned out the new floor-level sink was a mop sink. 

 

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