By Sydney Byerly
The Indiana Ctiizen
May 30, 2026
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith on Saturday criticized Indianapolis Jewish community leaders who had joined an interfaith statement condemning his calls to “hate” Islam, calling their expression of solidarity with Indiana Muslims “deeply misguided.”
In a social media post, Beckwith quoted a passage from the Hadith that he said demonstrates hostility toward Jews within Islamic tradition and argued that Jewish leaders were wrong to criticize him for warning about what he described as dangerous teachings in Islam.
“For the Jewish Community of Indianapolis to condemn me for opposing these very teachings within Islamic law that have been and are being used to justify hostility toward Jews and other non-Muslims is deeply misguided,” Beckwith wrote.
The comments came a day after the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council, Indiana Board of Rabbis and other Jewish, Hindu and interfaith organizations issued a joint statement condemning Beckwith’s recent remarks about Islam and warning that rhetoric targeting one religious minority can make all minority faith communities less safe.
The dispute traces to comments Beckwith made on the conservative Christian web talk show FlashPoint, where he said Americans need “permission to hate again,” said it is wrong to try to “eradicate hate” and described Islam as a “demonic death cult.” The remarks prompted criticism from Muslim advocacy groups, Muslim congressman André Carson, Jewish and interfaith leaders, Indiana Senate Democrats and Republican state Sen. Spencer Deery of West Lafayette.
Republican Gov. Mike Braun has not yet responded to a request for comment on his lieutenant governor’s remarks.
In the days since, Beckwith has defended his comments and expanded the controversy by publicly responding to several of those critics. The lieutenant governor reserved some of his sharpest responses for Deery and the Jewish leaders who signed onto an interfaith letter supporting Indiana’s Muslim community.
Deery, one of the few Republican elected officials to publicly criticize Beckwith’s remarks, wrote that “the Republican Party should be the natural home for all devout Americans of faith” and argued that rhetoric such as Beckwith’s threatens the nation’s tradition of religious liberty.
Beckwith responded Friday night by accusing Deery of welcoming an ideology that “throws gays off buildings and subjugates women as second class citizens” and suggesting the senator’s ongoing primary recount race should end in defeat.
“We don’t need weak senators like this guy welcoming evil from around the world into our Hoosier communities,” Beckwith said.
Beckwith’s remarks have also drawn criticism from Indiana Senate Democrats, who issued a statement supporting Indiana’s Muslim community and condemning rhetoric that targets people because of their faith. The caucus said “hate has no place in our identity” and called on elected leaders to promote inclusion rather than division.
Sydney Byerly is a political reporter who grew up in New Albany, Indiana. Before joining The Citizen, Sydney reported news for TheStatehouseFile.com and most recently managed and edited The Corydon Democrat & Clarion News in southern Indiana. She earned her bachelor’s in journalism at Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism (‘Sco Griz!).
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org.
