Sikh Republican Harmeet Dhillon faces backlash for ‘ardas’ recital at RNC; Congressman Krishnamoorthi condemns racist responses

Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has condemned the racist backlash directed at Republican National Committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon following her recital of the Sikh prayer ‘ardas’ at the Republican National Convention. Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat representing Illinois, described the response as “completely unacceptable.”

Dhillon, a prominent Republican leader and civil rights attorney, performed the prayer during the RNC, which began last Monday in Milwaukee. The event marked Trump’s first major appearance since an attempted assassination at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Dhillon’s prayer, recited as a gesture of thanks and seeking divine guidance, was met with a wave of trolling on social media, particularly from within her party’s supporter base.

In a statement released last week, Krishnamoorthi expressed his outrage at the discrimination Dhillon faced. “The reprehensible and racist reaction to Harmeet Dhillon’s Sikh prayer is unacceptable,” he said. “Discrimination based on race or religion has no place in America and must be condemned by all, regardless of political affiliation.”

Dhillon, 55, had introduced the prayer at the Fiserv Forum by explaining her Sikh heritage and the significance of the ‘ardas’ to her. The prayer was intended to invoke blessings for America and its upcoming elections. A video shared by the California Republican Party showed Dhillon addressing attendees: “I come from a family of Sikh immigrants, and I am honored to share a prayer from my faith practiced by over 25 million worldwide.”

Following the prayer, some far-right figures reacted negatively. Andrew Torba, CEO of the far-right social media platform Gab, criticized Dhillon’s act, claiming “Christian nationalism must be exclusively and explicitly Christian.” Republican Oklahoma State Senator Dusty Deevers also expressed disapproval, labeling the prayer as “shameful” in his social media posts.

Mother Jones reported that the reaction highlighted a troubling intersection of religious intolerance and political ideology within certain factions of the conservative movement.