Talking Points & Thinking Points: Trump Jokes About the Name Muhammad

This election season, Islam and Muslims are once again being kicked around like a football in the hope of winning votes. Here are the Facts:

Facts Giving Rise to Hate:

• The Texas State Board of Education has approved lessons that call the Prophet Muhammad "brutal," God's blessings be upon him.
• In April, Florida passed a law that bars courts from using "religious or foreign law" and names Sharia. 
• In Texas, Governor Abbott promised in September to "fully ban Sharia law."
• Then federal agents raided the home of Representative Ilhan Omar, in a federal effort to strip her of her citizenship and deport her. 
• President Trump called Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed "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. 'Hello, Mohammad.' I've done it for years now. I've never been wrong."

Our Children Carry the Heaviest Load

The rising hate impacts our children the most. Muslim children are bullied for their faith at twice the rate of other children.

• Twice the national rate. In the 2025 ISPU poll, 47 percent of Muslim families with children in K-12 schools said a child was bullied for their religion in the past year. Among all American families, the figure was 23 percent. In 36 percent of those cases, the families named a teacher or school official as one of those doing the bullying.
• Half feel unsafe. In the 2025 CAIR California Bullying Report, one in two Muslim students said they were bullied by classmates because of their faith. Half said they did not feel safe or welcome at school.
• They stay silent. Two out of three never reported it to anyone at school.

These numbers were gathered before a President joked about the name Muhammad and before Texas approved lessons calling the Prophet "brutal," God's blessings be upon him. What is said at the top gets repeated on the playground. Talk with your children this week. Sound Vision's new article for families can help.

What are you planning to do about it?

• What will you say to a coworker or neighbor about the joke?
• Do you know that the U.S. Supreme Court honored the Prophet as one of the top lawgivers of the world, God's blessings be upon him?
• Have you shared a brochure on Sharia with neighbors who might be curious about it?
• What is your masjid planning for Friday's khutbah?
• What is your interfaith group planning? Can your pastor and rabbi friends say a word this weekend?
• Have you talked to your children, especially any boy named Muhammad, about teasing at school?
• Do you know who your child can go to at school if they are bullied? Does the school have an anti-bullying policy?
• Can your city council member, state lawmaker, or member of Congress speak up for respect for all faiths?
• Are you and your family ready to vote on November 3?

Talking Points

• Muhammad is a name of honor. Muslim parents give it to their sons because they love the Prophet, God's blessings be upon him.
• Muhammad is one of the most common names in the world. That is a sign of love, not a reason for a joke.
• Muslim children are bullied for their faith at twice the rate of other American children. Words from the top make it worse.
• Muslims are not all from the Middle East. Most of the world's Muslims live outside the Middle East, in countries like Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. Many Muslim Americans were born right here.
• The most famous American named Muhammad was Muhammad Ali. In 1996, America cheered as he lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta. Sports Illustrated named him Sportsman of the Century.
• Sharia, for Muslim Americans, means prayer, fasting, charity, honest business, and family life. It also tells Muslims to keep their promises and follow the law of the land where they live.
• No religious law replaces American law. That is true of Sharia, Jewish Halacha, and Catholic Canon Law.

Thinking Points

• Jokes like this one turn into policy, like Texas teaching children that the Prophet was "brutal." Muslims believe he was Rahmatul Alameen, a mercy to the whole world (Quran 21:107). He killed no one. Of the roughly 22,000 days he lived, actual fighting took up about six. He banned torture, freed slaves, ended the killing of baby girls, and gave the Jews of Madinah equal rights. God's blessings be upon the Prophet.
• The name was mocked in the Prophet's own time. The people of Makkah called him Mudhammam, "the blamed one." He told his companions their curses never reached him, because his name was Muhammad, "the praised one" (Bukhari). God's blessings be upon the Prophet.
• The Quran told us to expect hurtful words and to meet them with patience: "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)
• The Quran also shows us how to answer: "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)
• The name joke and the anti-Sharia laws tell one story: Muslims are outsiders. Our answer is to show who we are, in person, to our neighbors.
• Anger helps the people who want to divide Americans. Calm, facts, and open doors help us.
• Masjids are the centers of Muslim life. They can teach, speak against bigotry, and help people vote.

Action Items

• Read and share the articles in this series, which Sound Vision is issuing today:
  • For individuals: What Can You Do When the Name Muhammad Is Mocked
  • For masjid leaders: Masjids Must Stand With the Name Muhammad
  • For interfaith partners: Can Interfaith Partners Please Stand Up Against Hate?
  • For families: "'They Laughed at My Name': Talking With Your Children About This Kind of Hate"
• Forward this newsletter, "Talking Points and Thinking Points: Trump Jokes About the Name Muhammad," to your masjid board, your interfaith friends, and your family group chat.

Order Brochures for Your Neighbors

Order two brochures in bulk, free of charge: "The Sharia Muslim Americans Live" and "The U.S. Supreme Court Honors the Prophet." Call Sound Vision at 800-432-4262, or write to Hesham@SoundVision.com.

Muhammad Ali: The Greatest

When Cassius Clay won the heavyweight title in 1964, he announced his new name, Muhammad Ali. Many people refused to say it, and some mocked it. He kept it. In time, the whole country came to love him.

A new eight-part series about his early life, "The Greatest," starts on Prime Video on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, the day after the election. Lonnie Ali, his widow, is one of its producers. Watch it with a friend of another faith. Host a youth night at your masjid. Ask the question: Why did he keep the name Muhammad when people mocked it?

Resources on Sharia and the Prophet Muhammad

Sound Vision has collected short, readable articles on Sharia at soundvision.com/sharia, and on the Prophet at soundvision.com/muhammad.