Full video and transcript of the entire hearing is available HERE
Exchange Between Rep. Chip Roy (R, TX) and Islam scholar Robert Spencer, 2/10/26
[Rep. Roy] “And Mr. Spencer, and I’d look to you on this question here. I heard my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who were raising objection to legislation and a number of bills that some of us introduced, particularly one that I introduced, that was raising the issue of vetting individuals as we’re bringing them into the United States for their adherence to Sharia law. That was the idea. The idea is that Sharia law is inconsistent with our values in Western civilization, so we should know if we’re bringing people into the country that may want to advance a system of law or systems that are contrary to our laws. Here’s my question. In doing so, my colleagues acknowledged and said that that would mean that Muslims generally would be in fear of deportation or inability to be brought into the country. Does that not suggest that there’s a recognition that Sharia law is central to most of the Muslim population throughout the world and those that come to the United States?”
[Robert Spencer] “It would seem as if they’re aware of that, yes.”
[Rep. Roy] “And is that true? Is Sharia law central to most Muslims throughout the world?
[Robert Spencer] “Absolutely. Sharia is considered divine law and thus it takes precedence over all other legal systems. In areas of the Muslim world where it is not fully implemented, such as Egypt or Syria, other countries, it still has a tremendous cultural influence such that elements of it are often enforced by individuals or groups where the government doesn’t do so.”
[Rep. Roy] “And is it not true also that there are some 50-plus countries throughout the world in which Sharia is either entirely the law or central to the law in a mixture of its religious implementation but also its civil?”
[Robert Spencer] “Yes, that’s right. There are 57 members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, 56 nations, and the Palestinian Authority.”
[Rep. Roy] “Is it also not true that we’re talking about the advance of the Islam population or the population of Muslims that adhere to Islam in this country, that it is not also true that there is significant funding by groups and organizations to push that, including Sharia, into the United States?”
[Robert Spencer] “Oh, there’s no doubt whatsoever. You have, for example, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal from Saudi Arabia, who has spent millions and millions of dollars in funding universities such as Georgetown, where they have now the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding that is designed essentially to whitewash Islam, jihad, and Sharia and present a version of these things that are designed to foster complacency. And you also have the government of Qatar doing the same thing on an even larger scale.”
[Rep. Roy] “In addition to these countries, in addition to foreign funding, there are organizations such as CAIR and other organizations that are designed to implement and advance the existence of Sharia and the advance of Islamism in the United States. Is that true?”
[Robert Spencer] “Oh, certainly. Omar Ahmed, the co-founder of CAIR, has been on record saying the Quran should be the only law of the land. He has denied saying this, but the original reporter stuck by her story. Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR, the famous spokesman for the organization, said that he wanted to see the government of the United States become Islamic sometime in the future. And this is something that is clear from all of CAIR’s actions.”
[Rep. Roy] “And would it be safe to say that the goal of those organizations and the Muslim Brotherhood, as my friend Mr. Gill said, also from Texas, that the goal of those organizations in advancing Islam, Islamist movement in the United States, that the goal is for the Western Hemisphere, for the Western civilization, the United States and Texas as ground zero, to become Islamic?
[Robert Spencer] “Oh, there’s no doubt about it. That’s very clear from the explanatory memorandum of the Muslim Brotherhood saying that the goal is that Allah’s religion is victorious over other religions. And they’re working toward eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within. And all the non-Muslim apologists for Sharia that we see are indications of how successful that effort has been.
[Rep. Roy] “One last question, I don’t remember my time, then I’ll recognize the gentlewoman from Wyoming. Is that not inherently political and not just missional? In other words, not just saying, hey, we would like people to know Allah and to know the teachings of Muhammad and Islam, as much as a Christian might want to advance the mission of Christ, but that it is political in ideology and in effect?
[Robert Spencer] “There’s no doubt whatsoever. This is all about political power. Nihad Awad, the executive director of CAIR, made that quite clear in repeated statements speaking about increasing the number of Muslim congressmen, getting Muslim senators and increasing Muslim political power on that basis.”
Exchange between Rep. Gill & Law Professor Ilya Somin
[Rep. Gill] “I’ve got a few questions, and I want to start with you, Mr. Somin. Can you tell me what percentage of U.S. Muslims believe that Sharia law should be implemented in the United States?
[Ilya Somin] “So I’m not aware of survey data on that specific question. However…”
[Rep. Gill] “Well, I can tell you it’s 39 percent. 39 percent of Muslims in the United States want Sharia law implemented in the next 20 years. Do you know what percentage of Muslims in the United States support the formation of a Muslim political party?”
[Ilya Somin] “Again, I’m not familiar with survey data on that particular question.”
[Rep. Gill] “Number is 46 percent. Do a couple more. Do you know what percentage of Muslims in the United States support making it illegal to show a picture or cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad?”
[Ilya Somin] “So as with the other questions, a lot depends on the wording and the sample, and I would want to see the details of the methodology here.”
[Rep. Gill] “Fifty percent. That’s a lot. Let’s do one more. Do you know what percentage of Muslims in the United States believe that Islam should be declared as our national religion?”
[Ilya Somin] “Once again, I would want to look at the methodology of the survey. The question…”
[Rep. Gill] “33 percent. This is from a survey conducted by the Heritage Foundation in 2024. In September of 2024. It was published on October 6th, 2024. I got two more for you. Do you know what percentage of American Muslims believe that Israel does not have a right to exist as a Jewish homeland?”
[Ilya Somin] “I don’t know that one either, but if it’s from a survey by the Heritage Foundation…”
[Rep. Gill] “It’s 43 percent. You’re happy. You can declare that statistics you don’t like aren’t true, but that’s not how I’m going to operate here. We got one more. Do you know what percentage of Muslims in the United States say that Jewish people have too much power in government policy?”
[Ilya Somin] “Once again, I would refer you back to my previous answer.”
[Rep Gill] “”57 percent. Do those facts concern you?”
[[Ilya Somin] “Again, I would want to see the nature of the survey, and I would also know the…”
[Rep. Gill] “No, I’m just asking if those statistics concern you.”
[Ilya Somin] “If they were accurate, they would be a matter of concern, but I would want to see…”
[Rep. Gill] “They are accurate, and I think that they are a matter of concern, and I think most Americans agree with me there.”
Andrew Bostom
Andrew G. Bostom is the author of The Legacy of Jihad (Prometheus, 2005) and The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism " (Prometheus, November, 2008) You can contact Dr. Bostom at @andrewbostom.net
