Republican state Sen. Michael Holmstrom launched the Sharia Free Minnesota Caucus on Saturday. In an announcement about the caucus, Holmstrom explained that the purpose of the new group is to keep Islamic law from infiltrating America’s system of government.
“Around the world, governments have invoked Sharia law to justify atrocities,” Holmstrom said in his announcement. “Women have been denied equal rights, religious minorities have been persecuted, apostasy and blasphemy have been punished, child marriage and rape have been tolerated or justified, and in some places, slavery has been justified under the guise of religious authority.”
It’s time we take a stand in Minnesota.
That is why today I am announcing the launch of the Sharia-Free Minnesota Caucus. pic.twitter.com/G0gCnLfH8E
— Michael Holmstrom (@MichaelH_MN) August 1, 2026
“Those practices are fundamentally incompatible with the principles that define America — equal justice under the law, individual liberty, and the inherent dignity of every person,” he added. “Minnesotans had very little say in the importation of this third-world political ideology. We can, however, now ensure that our judicial system remains firmly rooted in American constitutional law.”
In announcing the Sharia Free Minnesota Caucus, Holmstrom said, “this caucus will work to advance legislation that ensures Minnesota courts recognize one supreme legal authority — the Minnesota Constitution and the Constitution of the United States.”
A first-term member of the Minnesota Senate, Holmstrom chose Aug. 1 as the launch date for the new caucus because Aug. 1 is the anniversary of the first naval battle between the United States and the Barbary pirates in 1801.
Barbary pirates were Islamic privateers who attacked American ships, demanded money from American ships, and took Americans as slaves. Those pirates were from the Barbary Coast, a portion of northern Africa that was controlled by the Ottoman Empire.
The United States fought two wars against the Barbary states in the early 1800s.
Referencing this conflict in his Saturday announcement, Holmstrom noted that “America’s first military campaign beyond our shores was fought against those who would use Sharia to justify attacking, enslaving, and ransoming Americans.”
Sharia law is a religious legal system developed by Muslims over many centuries. Sharia governs Muslim conduct and is used in Islamic countries around the world in various forms. The Quran and other Islamic religious texts are the primary source material for Sharia law.
In his announcement, Holmstrom said there is an expectation that immigrants assimilate to American society. However, he noted that assimilation does not require an “abandonment of faith,” but does include “a commitment to our constitutional system.”
“Assimilation is not oppression,” he added. “It is the foundation of a united nation. You do not strengthen America by importing the failures of the nation you left behind. Rather, you strengthen America by embracing our constitutional system that provide the values, and the freedoms, we all share. That is the vision of this Sharia Free Minnesota Caucus.”
The Minnesota Legislature is comprised of many different political caucuses. While the four main caucuses are the GOP and DFL caucuses in both the Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives, many other caucuses exist that advocate for particular issues.
For example, many DFL members of the legislature are also members of the the Minnesota People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus and the Minnesota Queer Legislators Caucus which represent the interests of those groups.
While Holmstrom was the only lawmaker to announce the creation of the Sharia Free Minnesota Caucus, he told Alpha News that “We are still organizing a public announcement of all the members who are on board.”
“This is a bicameral and bipartisan issue,” he added. “I can’t see a reason any Minnesota legislator wouldn’t agree that Minnesota Courts should recognize the one supreme legal authority of the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Minnesota.”
Holmstrom’s new caucus is analogous to the Sharia Free America Caucus that exists in the U.S. House of Representatives. That caucus, which was formed in 2025, seeks to ensure that Sharia law does not creep into America’s system of government.
U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer is a member of the Sharia Free America Caucus. In a press release announcing his membership in the group, Emmer said, “Sharia is completely incompatible with the American way of life and threatens the very fabric of our society.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
