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Fox News condemned host Jeanine Pirro for comments she made Saturday about Rep. Ilhan Omar's use of a hijab, a head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women, which Pirro said could signal that Omar held beliefs that are "antithetical" to the Constitution.
Pirro made the comments during an opening segment on her show "Justice with Judge Jeanine" that focused on the freshman Minnesota Democrat's recent controversial criticisms of Israel, which were widely condemned as anti-Semitic. Pirro suggested that Omar, who is one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, was driven to make her remarks because of her religion.
"Think about this: She's not getting this anti-Israel sentiment doctrine from the Democrat Party. So if it's not rooted in the party, where is she getting it from?" Pirro said.
"Think about it. Omar wears a hijab, which according to the Quran 33:59, tells women to cover so they won't get molested. Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?" she asked.
On Sunday night, Fox News responded to the outrage sparked by Pirro's remarks.
"We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro’s comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar," Fox News said in a statement. "They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly."
The network also released a statement from Pirro in which she did not apologize, but clarified that she did not mean to suggest that Muslims can't support the Constitution. Pirro did not share the statement on her official Twitter account.
"I’ve seen a lot of comments about my opening statement from Saturday night’s show and I did not call Rep. Omar un-American. My intention was to ask a question and start a debate, but of course because one is Muslim does not mean you don’t support the Constitution," Pirro said. "I invite Rep. Omar to come on my show any time to discuss all of the important issues facing America today."
It was not the first time Fox News has publicly denounced Pirro. After she and fellow Fox News host Sean Hannity appeared onstage at a rally with President Donald Trump just ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, the conservative news network issued a statement saying it "does not condone any talent participating in campaign events."
"This was an unfortunate distraction and has been addressed," Fox News said in November.
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According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Sharia is a code of conduct, principles and rituals derived from the Quran that is interpreted and practiced in a number of ways. It is incorporated into the legal code in many Muslim nations. Critics have expressed concerns that Sharia is incompatible with Western democracy and that it is inherently opposed to women's rights. Many states in the U.S. have adopted legislation explicitly forbidding the application of Sharia in legal decisions.
Its defenders, such as Palestinian rights activist Linda Sarsour, argue that non-Muslims are not required to follow Sharia and that Islam tells its followers to obey secular laws.
Pirro's comments drew condemnation on social media. Many critics pointed out that the wearing of a hijab, which is common among Muslim women, is protected under the First Amendment as religious speech and is not a predictor of how someone interprets the Quran.
Others pointed to the irony of Pirro questioning Omar's loyalty based on her religion when one of the chief things Omar has been criticized for is invoking old tropes about the suspected "dual loyalty" of American Jews.
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Since taking office in January, Omar has come under fire for tweets and comments in which she implied money from pro-Israel groups was stifling debate about the treatment of Palestinians and that those groups push lawmakers toward "allegiance" to a foreign government.
Omar "unequivocally" apologized for her tweets about the pro-Israel lobby and last week, the House passed a resolution condemning hate in response to Omar's comments. But the resolution – which condemned both anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim rhetoric, and failed to call out Omar by name – did not go far enough for some.
"Why are we unable to singularly condemn anti-Semitism?" asked Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., in a speech Thursday from the House floor.
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., was one of 23 House members, all Republicans, to vote against the resolution. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa – who was censured by name for his own comments about white supremacy – voted "present."
During an interview Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Cheney accused the Democrats of "enabling anti-Semitism" by failing to call out Omar by name.
"I decided to vote against it because I think it was really clearly an effort to actually protect Ilhan Omar, to cover up her bigotry and anti-Semitism," Cheney said.
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