The Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance (WMCA) condemns remarks made by Congressman Derrick Van Orden during a September 2026 appearance on The Vicki McKenna Show, in which he made sweeping and bigoted generalizations about Muslims and Islam.
During the interview, Rep. Van Orden claimed that Islamic values “do not comport with modern Western thought,” invoked the concept of “suicidal empathy” to describe Western tolerance of Muslim communities, and used a personal anecdote from his military service in Afghanistan to suggest that Muslim fathers value livestock over their own children. He also disparaged Governor Kathy Hochul for wearing a hijab while addressing Muslim constituents and villanized her for showing basic cultural respect.
Additionally, Rep. Van Orden further implicated the classic Islamophic trope of the religion being “conquered by the sword” which is used to characterize Muslims as inherently violent or barbaric. We strongly condemn these remarks as an attempt to portray Muslims as dangerous and worthy of suspicion.
Rep. Van Orden’s comments constitute the same rhetoric that has long been used to paint 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide, including tens of thousands of Wisconsinites, as fundamentally incompatible with American life. Wisconsin’s Muslim community contributes to this state as small business owners, health care workers, veterans, elected officials, and neighbors. We reject any suggestion that our faith or our families are a threat to Western values.
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Rep. Van Orden’s most recent comments are consistent with his record of anti-Muslim rhetoric, in which he has amplified dehumanizing and baseless claims about Muslims. WMCA previously condemned his anti-Muslim remarks and reiterates its call for Rep. Van Orden to clearly and unequivocally to denounce the harmful anti-Muslim animus he continues to perpetuate.
Rep. Van Orden represents Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District. We call on him to retract these comments and to meet with Muslim constituents in his district before making further public statements about our community.
