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FIRST ON FOX: A Texas imam invited to pray before Congress is facing backlash on Capitol Hill after celebrating Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death in a social media post that wished him “an eternity in ruins” over his support for Israel.
Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, plans to introduce a resolution on Wednesday that would formally condemn Omar Suleiman, the president and co-founder of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, near Dallas.
“In other news, Lindsey Graham is dead,” Suleiman wrote on social media early Sunday morning, shortly after news broke that Graham had died. “Bye Lindsey. May you live an eternity in ruins for the ruins you helped create in Gaza. Ameen.”
Van Duyne, who represents the suburban Dallas district where Suleiman lives, said Congress must condemn his incendiary message, pointing to his 2019 opening prayer before the House, which he delivered at Democrats’ invitation.
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“This type of action from a religious leader that claims to preach about love and not hate needs to be condemned,” Van Duyne told Fox News Digital in an interview. “That was anything but love. That was depravity.”
“Is this really what you believe—that you’re going to take a sitting senator who has just died, and you’re going to condemn his soul to an eternity of ruins because you don’t agree with his politics?” she continued.
Graham, who served in Congress for decades, was a leading advocate for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and the United States’ months-long conflict with Iran. He was also a fierce defender of Ukraine, Taiwan and those living under authoritarian regimes.
Van Duyne said she is talking with leadership about putting her resolution on the floor and hopes Democrats will support it.
“It needs to be condemned by those Democrats who called him to the House floor to preach,” the Texas lawmaker said. “I would love to be able to get Democrats who are on the floor who don’t agree that this is the type of action that a religious leader should take.”
Suleiman was invited by former Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, to deliver the opening prayer in the House chamber in May 2019. She died in 2023.
The imam was asked to perform the invocation despite a history of controversial remarks, including calling for a third Intifada — a phrase widely interpreted as calling for violence against Israel and Jews — and claiming that Zionists are “enemies of God,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
“It’s a hatred of a people” that fueled Suleiman’s remarks celebrating Graham’s death, Van Duyne told Fox News Digital. “I thought it was very important to highlight that.”
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The resolution alleges that Suleiman has “defended convicted terrorists” and traveled to Turkey to support members of the Muslim Brotherhood, who are banned from traveling to the United States.
Suleiman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Texas imam was not alone in celebrating Graham’s death. Van Duyne argued the vitriol from some progressive commentators and left-wing activists reflects a broader decline in civility.
“The words are getting more hateful,” the Texas Republican told Fox News Digital. “The call for violence is getting more dangerous.”
“It has absolutely gone beyond reason,” she continued. “And to have a religious leader that joins in that, that is calling for that, is horrible. And yes, we should be condemning it.”
Her measure also highlights Sharia law’s “incompatibility” with constitutional principles and American life.
Van Duyne, who served as mayor of Irving, Texas, before winning election to Congress in 2020, has long warned about the spread of radical Islam and efforts to promote Sharia law in the Lone Star State.
“There are Republican leaders in Congress who are speaking out against it. Eleven years ago, I felt like I was on my own,” Van Duyne told Fox News Digital. “They are in my hometown, and they are in cities across the country, and I think what you’re seeing is elected representatives standing up to it.”
The resolution also pays tribute to Graham, who she said supported her during her runs for Congress and appeared with her at some fundraisers.
“When he didn’t agree with somebody, he would tell them,” Van Duyne said. “But it was never in a hateful, malicious manner, and I think we have lost the soul of debate. We have lost the soul of actual compromise in this country.”
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