Faith leaders and Indiana lawmakers gathered at the statehouse Thursday to defend religious freedom, after Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s podcast remarks—calling Islam a “demonic death cult” and saying he hopes Muslims convert to Christianity—drew national attentio
When lawmakers and faith leaders filed into Indiana’s statehouse Thursday, the message was simple and urgent: “faith over fear.” It came after Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s words last month—caught on a podcast and amplified far beyond Indiana—turned religious freedom into a live, heated test.
Beckwith said on the podcast. “I hate Islam. it’s a demonic death cult. ” and added hope that all Muslims would convert to Christianity. His comments drew a direct response from the Council on American-Islamic Relations. CAIR. which released a statement urging Beckwith to visit a Mosque and meet with members of the Indiana Muslim community.
That national attention landed back in Indiana on Thursday, as both Republicans and Democrats gathered to support religious freedom. Sen. Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) and Sen. Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette) were among lawmakers who issued statements during the event.
At the center of the push was Sen. Fady Qaddoura (D-Indianapolis), who is Muslim. He called on Governor Mike Braun to make a public statement affirming support for religious liberty. “We need the Governor to tell the public that he. as the highest elected executive. does not stand for hate. ” Qaddoura said.
Braun has said he wouldn’t have used the same words as the lieutenant governor and that “Micah was making a point that he probably regrets.” Qaddoura said that still isn’t enough. In his view. Braun’s response leaves room for agreement with Beckwith’s broader points. especially around claims tied to violent extremism in Islam.
More recently. Beckwith has changed the focus of his language. arguing his opposition is to “Sharia Law. ” which “promotes the destruction of our country. our Constitution. and our way of life.” Qaddoura said the impact is already visible in Indiana. He pointed to threats against Indiana mosques, saying they have seen an uptick after the Lt. Governor’s statements.
“We have noticed an immediate physical impact on the ground in Indiana,” Qaddoura said. “Mosques across Indiana had to hire additional security at every mosque at almost every prayer to protect Hoosier Muslims.”
The crowd also included leaders of different Indiana faith groups. The Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance was present, along with members of Indiana’s Mormon community. Sen. Greg Walker (R-Columbus) spoke in favor of religious liberty; he lost his primary after voting down redistricting last year.
State Treasurer Republican Daniel Elliot—himself a member of the Mormon Church—took the podium to argue that both the U.S. and Indiana constitutions protect freedom of worship. “If we start saying it’s okay to start hating the Muslim or the Jew or the Hindu or any other faith. then pretty soon we start to say. oh. you’re not the right flavor of Christianity. ” Elliot said. “It’s ok to hate you too.”.
Elliot’s comments came after the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church, was briefly categorized as a non-Christian religion by the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also promoted an evangelical pastor, Doug Wilson, who has argued that Mormons are not Christian.
But Elliot said Thursday’s event wasn’t about his faith alone. “Our people were ejected from the country at gunpoint many, many years ago, and so this is something that we feel very deeply about,” he said. “It really isn’t about my faith; it’s about Americans and all faiths.”
When reached for comment, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s office responded that he loves “all groups of people who come to our country legally and assimilate to our culture. Sharia Law does the exact opposite of that and promotes the destruction of our country. our Constitution. and our way of life.” The Governor’s office did not respond to WFYI’s request for comment.
Indiana religious freedom Micah Beckwith Mike Braun CAIR Fady Qaddoura Islam mosque security statehouse rally Shelli Yoder Spencer Deery Daniel Elliot Mormon community
Religious freedom right? But calling stuff demonic is basically not freedom, it’s just hate.
I don’t even get why they’re rallying like this. If he said it on a podcast, that’s on him. Also CAIR asking him to visit a mosque like that’s gonna fix everything… idk.
Isn’t the whole “Sharia law” thing what people were mad about anyway? Like they keep switching it to conversion and then to extremism, so who knows what’s actually true. Braun said he wouldn’t have used the same words but that means he agrees with the rest maybe? That’s how it reads to me.
This is getting blown out of proportion. I heard a clip where he was just “making a point” and now everybody’s acting like he started a war. And why is a governor even involved? The Muslim senator should’ve addressed it directly instead of saying Braun needs to “not stand for hate” like hate is a law we can pass. Anyway Indiana’s always behind on stuff like this.