Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith is catching heat from a national Muslim civil rights organization after calling Islam a “demonic death cult” on a Christian talk show.
During a May 21 appearance on the show FlashPoint, a program on televangelist Kenneth Copeland’s network that describes itself as a Biblical alternative to mainstream media, Beckwith said in response to a question about a shifting culture in America that people have been given “permission to hate again.”
“I know that sounds a little harsh at first,” he said, “but we’ve seen this movement to eradicate hate in our culture, that is the worst thing we could do.”
“I hate Islam, it’s a demonic death cult,” he continued. “Now, I love Muslims because they make great Christians when Jesus gets a hold of them.”
It’s not the first time that Beckwith, a self-described Christian nationalist whose office is spearheading Gov. Mike Braun’s Faith-Based Institutions Initiative, has been criticized for speaking off the cuff. In April, he called the Westfield High School band’s production “demonic filth” and got in a social media spat with the superintendent of Valparaiso Community Schools. In 2025, he caught flak for calling the Three-Fifths Compromise, where an enslaved person was made to count as three-fifths of a person for political representation, a “great move.”
Now, The Council on American-Islamic Relations is condemning Beckwith’s comments and calling for him to visit a mosque in Indiana.
“Although Mr. Beckwith has every right to express his own religious views, including a hatred of another world religion,” the national civil rights group said in a statement May 28, “he should have the wisdom to understand that using his platform as Lieutenant Governor to spread panic about an imaginary Muslim takeover of Indiana is unbecoming of his office and dangerous to the Indiana Muslim community.”
The lieutenant governor did not immediately respond to a request for comment from IndyStar, including questions about whether he would accept CAIR’s offer or if he has visited or is planning to visit mosques as part of his Faith-Based Institutions Initiative.
He seemingly refused to back down from his comments, though, in a May 28 post on X.
In the FlashPoint video, Beckwith argues that some hatred is necessary because God hates certain things in the Bible. He also claims that jihadists, a term for Muslims who support using violence to advance Islamic governance, are working with Marxists to tear down society. He did not elaborate on the claim.
His comments came just days after a deadly attack on a mosque in San Diego and amid a surge in anti-Muslim sentiments. CAIR recorded a record number of anti-Muslim bias complaints in 2025, the organization said in a news release.
Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at mmeador@indystar.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador. Download the free IndyStar app and turn on notifications to get breaking news and sports alerts.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: National Muslim group condemns Micah Beckwith after he calls Islam ‘demonic’
Reporting by Marissa Meador, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
