Maggie Siddiqi on Religious Freedom, Sharia Law, and American Pluralism

What does religious freedom actually protect when people are afraid of someone else’s faith? Maggie Siddiqi, Senior Advisor at Interfaith Alliance and former Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Education, joins Faithful Politics for a conversation about Islam, pluralism, public schools, Christian nationalism, and the fear surrounding Sharia law.

Maggie shares her own story of growing up Baptist, converting to Islam, and still holding deep respect for her Baptist roots. She also explains why religious freedom works best when it protects every community equally, including Christians, Muslims, Jews, and people of no faith. The conversation gets into antisemitism, Islamophobia, public school religious expression, the politics of anti-Christian bias claims, and why Sharia law is often used as a political scare tactic. At its core, this episode is about how fear of religious difference can weaken democracy, and how pluralism gives Americans a better way to live together.

Relevant Links & Resources

Interfaith Alliance

Guest Bio

Maggie Siddiqi is Senior Advisor at Interfaith Alliance, where her work focuses on religious freedom, interfaith solidarity, public policy, and standing against hate. She previously served as Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Education, where she worked on religious freedom issues including antisemitism, Islamophobia, and church-state separation. She has also served as Senior Director of the Religion and Faith team at the Center for American Progress and is a Non-Resident Fellow on Muslim-Jewish Partnerships at MPAC. Her background in Christian-Muslim relations, public policy, and faith-based advocacy makes her a strong guide for this conversation about pluralism, democracy, Islamophobia, and religious freedom in American public life.

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