Washington Post columnist: Muslims shouldn't need to assimilate in America

"The assimilation defense — look how well we've integrated — is satisfying to make. But it concedes a premise I no longer accept: that a minority community's right to be in the United States depends on its willingness to converge with the cultural mainstream," Hamid wrote in his piece titled "I'm tired of proving I belong in America."

Hamid's column responds directly to recent inflammatory statements from GOP lawmakers. Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee wrote on X last month that "Muslims don't belong in American society," while Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama recently declared he's "ready to get rid of the Muslims."

The Muslim columnist marshaled survey data showing American Muslims outperform the general public on civic engagement and patriotism. Muslims are more likely than average Americans to say political violence is never justified, according to polling from the past decade. But Hamid argues those statistics miss the point entirely.

"You'd think that would be enough. Except it shouldn't have to be. And this is where it gets uncomfortable — for me, at least," he told readers.

Hamid acknowledges Muslims maintain distinct cultural practices that set them apart from mainstream American Christianity. "Islam shapes how its adherents think about family, sexuality and what it means to live a good life. Simply put, Islam is also a more public religion than Christianity," he wrote, noting that Muslim prayer is "visually striking and often communal."

He defended Islamic law — sharia — as central to Muslim identity despite repeated calls for Muslims to disavow it. "Practicing Muslims — despite being repeatedly asked to — can't disavow 'sharia' even if they wanted to. Sharia, roughly translated as Islamic law, includes guidelines on how to pray, fast and otherwise observe what it means to submit to God in daily practice."

The argument comes as anti-Muslim sentiment appears to be rising among some Republican officials. Hamid contrasts Muslim community cohesion with what he sees as the cultural dissolution of other minority groups through assimilation pressure, citing declining Catholic rates among Latinos and rising Jewish intermarriage rates.

The broader debate over Muslim integration will likely intensify as the 2024 campaign season heats up, with GOP lawmakers facing pressure to clarify whether inflammatory rhetoric represents official party positions.