Iowa Congressional Candidate Reflects on 9/11 and Religious Diversity

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 23:59:00 +0200

Sarah Trone Garriott, an Iowa state legislator and ordained Lutheran minister running for a battleground congressional seat, shared her reflections on the September 11, 2001, attacks. In an opinion piece for the Iowa Capital Dispatch, Garriott explained that the events of 9/11 heightened her awareness of anti-Muslim prejudice. She recounted the negative reactions she received in 2021 after sharing a Muslim prayer in the statehouse, highlighting the stereotypes and hostility directed at Muslim communities. Garriott also noted that she started her master's degree in theological studies at Harvard just one day after 9/11, where she collaborated with Muslim classmates to organize a Ramadan meal, demonstrating her commitment to interfaith understanding. Republican opponents criticized Garriott for focusing on anti-Muslim bigotry without mentioning the nearly 3,000 Americans who died in the attacks, framing her approach as politically tone-deaf. GOP officials have accused her of pandering to