LOS ANGELES — Southern California Pastor Jack Hibbs drew criticism following remarks questioning whether Muslim Americans can swear allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, prompting condemnation from a Muslim civil rights organization on Nov. 10.
Hibbs, who leads Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in San Bernardino County, made the remarks while discussing the results of the 2026 midterm elections. The Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) called the comments “hateful and irresponsible” and encouraged religious leaders to speak out against rhetoric targeting Muslim Americans.
In a sermon clip shared on X, Hibbs asserted that Islam forbids Muslims from pledging allegiance to the Constitution and requires them to pledge allegiance to Islamic religious law, also known as Sharia.
He invoked the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks while describing the election results and told his congregation, “We have surrendered.” The clip also showed Hibbs criticizing Christians who did not vote in the midterms, according to a report by ChurchLeaders.
The figure of 255 that Hibbs cited matches a count published by CAIR and CAIR Action in August, more than two months before the Nov. 3 election. It identified 255 Muslim elected officials already serving across 26 states.
Most of those officials held local council or education-related positions. The organizations compiled the directory using public information, research and submissions from community members.
In a separate tally released Nov. 5, CAIR and CAIR Action reported that at least 97 Muslim candidates had won races across the country in the midterms. The preliminary tally included federal, state and local elections, with other contests still being counted.
In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers and is set to become the first Muslim U.S. senator, according to the Associated Press. El-Sayed, a former public health official, campaigned on universal health care and reducing the influence of money in elections.
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution requires members of Congress, state legislators and federal and state executive and judicial officers to support the Constitution through an oath or affirmation. It also prohibits religious tests for any office or public trust under the United States.
In the 1961 case Torcaso v. Watkins, the U.S. Supreme Court held that Maryland could not require a person to declare a belief in God to serve as a notary public. The court found that the requirement violated constitutional protections for freedom of belief and religion under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said Hibbs’ remarks could encourage congregants to view their Muslim neighbors with suspicion. He said the comments reinforced the idea that Muslim Americans are less deserving of a voice in public life.
Ayloush also said his faith teaches respect for people of different religions and that the pastor’s remarks risked undermining relationships that local communities had built.
The condemnation came as some Muslim Americans were celebrating El-Sayed’s Senate victory. Speaking to the Associated Press after the election, El-Sayed said he ran to represent Michigan and described his faith as one part of who he is.
The AP reported that the race drew national attention as Muslim Americans reflected on the anti-Muslim prejudice that followed the Sept. 11 attacks, which Hibbs had invoked in his remarks.
CAIR-LA urged faith leaders across Southern California to promote dialogue among religious communities. It also encouraged anyone who experiences a bias or hate incident to contact its Civil Rights Department or submit a report through the organization’s online form.
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