Beyond the “Sharia Scare”: A Guide for Faith Leaders and Allies
How to Understand and Upend Political Fearmongering against Muslims in the U.S.
Today, American Muslims are being treated with renewed suspicion. As in the 2010s, some political activists, media pundits, and elected officials are purposefully generating fears about the Islamic religious term, sharia, to score political points and sow division among our fellow Americans. This rhetoric—and the discriminatory policies that accompany it—are harmful not only to Americans who are Muslim, but to the fabric of the United States and to the ideals that we profess to hold as a nation: equality, dignity, fairness, safety, and religious liberty. As we mark the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding and the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks in 2001, Americans—especially people of faith and conscience—have an opportunity to not just look back, but to decide who we want to be and what we wish to carry forward. Together, we can choose to close the chapter on bigotry and start writing a new story defined by our shared values and ideals.
Back in 2018, after a similar wave of anti-Muslim political activism, the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign released “A Guide to Addressing the Anti-Sharia Movement in the United States.” This present resource is an updated and expanded version of that guide, providing further insights to help faith leaders understand and pro-actively address the resurgence of political rhetoric and policies targeting American Muslims amid the 2026 midterm elections.
In this updated guide, we explain why this revival of rhetoric about sharia is significant and harmful, and seek to help U.S. faith leaders and all people of goodwill respond to and push back against anti-Muslim political activism in ways that are both effective and in alignment with our religious values and American ideals. The allyship of faith leaders is vital and can make a real difference.
This guide is not just meant to simply shine a light on what sharia is or isn’t, but also to discuss how this latest iteration of fearmongering around it reflects deeper problems plaguing the United States—namely othering, scapegoating, and marginalization.
Quick Reference Sheet and Resources
At the end of the guide, we share further resources to support faith allies in taking action, including a Quick Reference Sheet—a chart with messaging suggestions for responding to specific anti-Muslim talking points about sharia. We encourage partners to skip down to this sheet, and utilize this lengthier guide as a supplement.
The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign is here to support you.
Our team is here to uplift and encourage you in the work however we can. Please let us know how this guide is useful, and if you have any feedback or questions, please contact our team at info@s2scampaign.org.