What Can You Do When the Name Muhammad Is Mocked

Muslims love the Prophet more than anyone. They do not even say his name without adding, "God's peace and blessings be upon him."

That is why it is so painful to see Texas approve school lessons that call the Prophet Muhammad "brutal," God's blessings be upon him.

On Friday, October 16, 2026, at a campaign rally in an airport hangar in Dalton, Georgia, President Trump called Abdul El-Sayed, a Senate candidate from Michigan, "Muhammad," and told him, "I'm the president. I can call you whatever the hell I want."

He also said, "If you're in doubt about somebody's name from the Middle East, just say 'Mohammad.' You have about a 65% chance." He pretended to greet people: "Hello, Mohammad." He added, "I've done it for years now. I've never been wrong."

That is what happened. The question for each of us is what to do next.

First, check your own heart

The name Muhammad was mocked in the Prophet's own lifetime. The people of Makkah who hated him refused to say his name. They twisted it into Mudhammam, which means "the one who is blamed." His answer was calm, almost light. He said, "Doesn't it astonish you how Allah protects me from the abuse and curses of Quraish? They abuse Mudhammam and curse Mudhammam, whereas I am Muhammad" (Bukhari). Their insult never touched him, because it was aimed at a name that was not his. God's blessings be upon him.

You can carry that same calm. A joke at a rally cannot lower a name that God has raised. More than a billion people send blessings on him every day in their prayers.

The Quran describes the true servants of God as people who stay steady when others are rude:

"The true servants of the Most Compassionate are those who walk on the earth humbly, and when the foolish address them improperly, they only respond with Salam." (Quran 25:63)

Thinking points

• This joke is part of a pattern. The goal is to make Muslims look foreign, as if we all have the same name and come from the same faraway place. Many Muslim Americans were born here, and most Muslims in the world are not from the Middle East.
• It is election season. The midterm election is on November 3. Mocking Muslims is being used to stir up voters. When we answer with anger, we give that strategy what it wants.
• The same feeling drives the anti-Sharia scare. Florida passed a law this year banning courts from using "religious or foreign law," and it named Sharia. In Texas, Governor Abbott promised in September to "fully ban Sharia law." Senator Ted Cruz told the same crowd that "Sharia law has no place in America." The name joke and the Sharia scare tell the same story: Muslims are outsiders. Our job is to tell the true story.
• Your children are listening. A boy named Muhammad may hear the joke repeated at school this week. Talk to him before someone else does.
• The Quran told us this would happen. "You will certainly hear many hurtful words... But if you are patient and mindful of God, surely this is a resolve to aspire to." (Quran 3:186)

Talking points for your coworkers and neighbors

Keep these short. Say one or two, then listen.

• "Muhammad is a name of honor. Millions of parents pick it because they love the Prophet, God's blessings be upon him."
• "Muhammad is one of the most common names in the world. That is not a joke. It is a sign of how much people love him."
• "My neighbor named Muhammad is a nurse. Another is a truck driver. They are Americans, not punch lines."
• "The most famous American named Muhammad was Muhammad Ali. Sports Illustrated named him Sportsman of the Century."
• "When a leader makes fun of one faith's prophet, he makes it easier to make fun of any faith."
• "Sharia, for me, means I pray, I fast in Ramadan, I give charity, and I keep my word. My faith also tells me to obey the law of the land I live in."

The greatest American named Muhammad

Here is a story worth telling right now. In 1964, a young boxer from Louisville named Cassius Clay won the heavyweight title. Soon after, he told the world his new name: Muhammad Ali. Many people refused to use it. Some mocked it on purpose, the same way the President did last week.

Ali did not back down. He kept his name, kept his faith, and became the most loved athlete on the planet. In 1996, the crowd in Atlanta, Georgia, stood and cheered as he lit the Olympic flame. Think about that. Georgia once cheered for a man named Muhammad who carried the torch for the whole world.

A new series about his life, "The Greatest," starts on Prime Video on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. That is the day after the election. The first season follows him from his 1960 Olympic gold to his 1964 title, the year he took the name Muhammad. Watch it with a friend of another faith, then ask them, "Why do you think he chose that name?" It is an easy door into a deep talk.

What you can do now

• Say the name with pride. If your name is Muhammad, use it in full. Do not shorten it to fit in.
• Send blessings on the Prophet. God and His angels send blessings on him, and God asks the believers to do the same (Quran 33:56). Say it often this week: God's blessings be upon him.
• Order two brochures for your neighbors. Call Sound Vision at 800-432-4262 to order two brochures in bulk, written for neighbors of other faiths. One is about the U.S. Supreme Court honoring the Prophet as one of the great lawgivers of the world. The other is about how American Muslims live Sharia.
• Discuss with your children. Children face bullying. Talk to them about what is happening and what they can do about it.
• Talk to one person. Pick a coworker, a classmate, or a neighbor. Ask what they heard about the joke. Share one talking point. Listen more than you talk.
• Do not spread the clip. Sharing the video with angry words gives it more reach. If you post, post something about who the Prophet was, or about Muhammad Ali.
• Learn about Sharia so you can explain it. Read "The Sharia Muslim Americans Live" and "Religious Laws and Freedom of Religion in the United States" at soundvision.com/sharia. Share them with a friend who asks questions.
• Write a short letter to your local paper. Two hundred words is enough. Tell people what your name, or your son's name, means to you.
• Call your members of Congress and your state lawmakers. Tell them, politely, that mocking a faith has no place in public life, and ask where they stand on anti-Sharia bills.
• Vote on November 3. Check your polling place and early voting hours today. Bring a friend.
• Invite someone to watch "The Greatest." Make it a family night. Serve good food.
• Answer bad words with good deeds. "Respond to evil with what is best, then the one you are in a feud with will be like a close friend." (Quran 41:34)

A last word

People who mock the name Muhammad want us to feel small. We do not have to. We can be the best proof of what that name means: honest, kind, brave, and useful to our neighbors. That is the answer no joke can beat.